Alien Robots- and Fulcrum? (HIATUS)
by xxTheTruMan196
Summary: Alexandra Daniels knew the world was full of crazy and ridiculous things, with weird "super" people in it. But she was just a Junior in high school in the lowly, middle of nowhere town called Jasper. She never thought any of the world's strangeness would reach there... of course, until she met alien robots from space. (SHANIVERSE SIDE STORY)
1. Story Introduction!

_Hey there readers! This is going to be a story about Transformers Prime (obviously) and there are a few new characters I'm adding, one of which is an OC. This story also takes place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the Avengers themselves and all of those people aren't really a part of this._

 _(Imagine this story as one of the Netflix TV shows or something like that. They're in the same universe, but they don't meet the Avengers.)_

 _For those of you who are avid readers of my crossover series the Shaniverse, you will understand what's going on, but for those who don't, here's some context about the story, most of which deals with Elita One._ _My main story is the Legacy of Jarik Shan, which is a Star Wars series that I've been writing for a long time._

 _On the planet Ahch-To, which Jarik Shan and Ahsoka Tano discover, they eventually find out that Elita One was trapped underneath the Jedi Temple Island thousands of years ago. Jarik and the others help to release her from stasis, and they become good friends and allies_ (during the story LOJS V5: Rebirth) _. Also, Bumblebee actually met with and befriended Jedi Grand Master Satele Shan_ (from Legends) _thousands of years ago, so that's another connection!_

 _I'm excited to have Elita One be a part of Team Prime in this story, since we have yet to receive a modern storyline involving her. My OC character is a teenager named Alexandra Daniels, who will be the human companion of Elita One, which you'd probably expect._

 _Anyways, if you're interested, stick around! I hope you all can enjoy it!_


	2. Ch 1 - Escape from Cybertron

**_Cybertron; Milky Way Galaxy_**

 **3rd person POV...**

The last surviving Autobot city on Cybertron was under heavy siege by the Decepticons: Iacon.

The forces of the Autobots desperately tried to hold their position and defend against the invading forces, but the Decepticons were absolutely relentless in their assault, leaving them to know that they would have to evacuate the planet and survive off of Cybertron. The main pathway towards the launch site was where the Autobots had their last line of defense set up. Leading this force was Arcee, Bulkhead, and Ratchet. The old medic was never one for warfare, but in these desperate circumstances even he had picked up a spare gun and was firing at the Decepticons.

"They've broken through the front lines!" he warns the others.

"I've lost contact with the capital!" Arcee adds in alarm, aiming her arm blaster and firing more blue bursts.

"There's too many of these tin cans!" Bulkhead exclaims, glancing at them for a moment.

A stray missile blows into a fellow Autobot, getting Brawn's attention, another Autobot. He cries out in concern before also being knocked down by a missile, groaning in pain. On top of a nearby building down the street, a trio of Decepticon seekers were firing a heavy barrage in the direction of the Autobots.

"Finish them!" one growls out furiously.

However moments later, a retaliatory barrage of blue laser blasts stream forth and slam into the three seekers, destroying them with pained yells. Optimus Prime charges forwards toward the Decepticons. He leaps into the air and shoots down a Decepticon in front of him. Popping up in a roll, he whips around to shoot at another seeker that was rushing for him and then grabs him, throwing him down onto the ground.

"Where's Bumblebee?!" he questions.

Across the battlefield, Bumblebee starts racing forwards in his vehicle form and activates his two blaster cannons. He fires at the Decepticons and drives up a ramp, slamming into two on the way. Transforming midair, he then kicks down another Decepticon, who starts falling. The two land on the ground harshly, causing the 'cons head to pop off. Rolling forwards, Bumblebee kicks the head towards another Decepticon that was attempting to flank Optimus, knocking him to the ground.

 _::Sorry I'm late, hit a little traffic::_ Bee tells Optimus.

"Get down! Incoming!" an Autobot yells in a panic.

The two look over behind them, widening their optics in alarm.

 _::Uhh, Optimus?::_ Bee asks nervously.

Not too far away from them, the Decepticon's communications chief himself drops down into the battle, his face visor staring at them with cold, malicious intent. He was an all but thin Cybertronian, but his lack of noticeable muscle strength meant nothing compared to how powerful of an enemy he was in combat. Behind him, the Decepticons second-in-command Starscream marched forwards with glowing red optics, followed by Shockwave, one of the most feared Decepticon's of all, who aimed his massive arm cannon.

 _::Decepticons, attack!::_ Soundwave orders.

All of the Autobots who heard that ordered widened their optics in shock, as Soundwave has never talked before. Never! Behind the three fearsome Decepticons, an army of seekers took to the air and shot straight for the Autobots.

"Autobots, fall back!" Optimus exclaims urgently. "Get to the tower!"

He raises his blaster to fire at the oncoming Decepticons in order to buy the rest of the Autobots more time, falling back with them. Shockwave raises his arm cannon and fires back in retaliation, before looking over to Starscream.

"Destroy the launch pad. Let none escape!" he orders.

Starscream nods in understanding and takes to the sky with Skywarp and Thundercracker, the three of them transforming into their jet forms. Together the trio of Decepticons make their way for the launch tower, priming their rockets. On top of the launch pad, the remaining Autobots were getting into the escape pods at Prime's orders, moving as quickly and urgently as they could.

"Cybertron has fallen. Get to the escape pods! There are other Autobots scattered across the galaxy!" Optimus orders. "We must reach them if we hope to survive!"

 _::Optimus, this is our home! We have to fight for it!::_ Bumblebee argues.

Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker fly quickly up the side of the building, and Optimus looked up as the three seekers soared above the launch pad before turning to Bumblebee.

"We will fight on. But we must find refuge first," Optimus tells him, holding up an arm and displaying a holographic image. "I found a planet that's well hidden; Earth. You will travel there and establish a base for us."

Turning off the hologram he lays a comforting hand on Bumblebee's shoulder. "Once I've gathered the others we'll join you. You must protect the planet. If the Decepticons find it, then our people are truly finished."

 _::But Optimus, would it be more helpful if I were to return to the Andromeda galaxy? Blaster's been keeping an eye on it and he says that Satele has a powerful descendant!::_ Bumblebee suggests eagerly.

"I understand how close you were with Satele Shan," Optimus replies in understanding. "But this is not Jarik Shan's fight, and his galaxy has suffered enough already against their own Empire in the past."

Bumblebee glances down sadly, but nods in understanding at Optimus.

"Now go," Optimus tells him, gesturing towards the escape pods.

Bumblebee nods firmly and starts running for one of the last remaining escape pods. Above the launch pad, the seeker trio transformed into their robotic forms, keeping themselves in the air with their jets. Aiming their arms, a heavy barrage of missiles fired from each seeker, soaring directly down to the launch pad. They swirl around the structure and then explode against the side of it. The launch pad begins to slowly topple over, causing Optimus to stumble slightly.

"Good luck soldier! I'll buy you some time!" Optimus tells Bumblebee.

As Bumblebee's escape pod launches into the air, he can only watch worriedly as Optimus leaps off the side of the collapsing tower and onto a flying seeker, the rest of the Decepticons chasing after him. In his spark he wanted desperately to go to the Andromeda galaxy and seek help from Jarik Shan and the Jedi Order, but in his processor he also knew Optimus was right. The Galactic Empire that Jarik Shan helped to combat caused so much damage to the galaxy, it'll be many decades before they could hope to recover.

Bumblebee didn't want to bring Cybertron's war to them, as then that would be the last war the Andromeda galaxy ever fought.

* * *

 ** _Earth; Milky Way Galaxy_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Deep in the forest at night, two Cybertronians were walking through the trees with each other in deep discussion, one of them very proud of the other.

"Old friend, you kept this planet safe. Because of you we have a future, Bumblebee," Optimus says with a smile.

Bumblebee looks up at Optimus with bright blue optics shining happily. : _Thank you Optimus._ :

A booming sound from the sky above has both Autobots looking up at the sky to see four meteors falling towards the ground in great balls of fire. Only these were not meteors, rather they were Cybertronian escape pods. Optimus however was looking up at the sky with a confused frown. Noticing this, Bumblebee glances at him with a questioning chirp.

"I don't recall there being four Autobots on the team I brought here," Optimus explains in concern.

The escape pods then slam into the ground with loud thunderous crashes, causing the ground to shake a little from the impact. Luckily they were deep in the wilderness, so nobody would notice the impact. Together they quickly head over towards the impact sight, a little cautious however due to the knowledge that there was a different amount than what Optimus was expecting. Upon reaching the sight, they find the crater created by the escape pods, harmlessly smoking fires dotting the ground around the escape pods.

Optimus and Bumblebee take a few steps forwards when the first pod opens up, allowing its passenger to pop out. She slowly stands to her full height and blinks her optics a few times, looking around before settling her gaze on the two. Her optics widen in shock, and so do Optimus's optics as well. They were silent for a few moments, before Optimus finally spoke.

"E- Elita?" he asks quietly, in a state of disbelief.

"Optimus..." Elita-One whispers in awe. "I finally found you..."

* * *

 ** _Cybertron; Milky Way Galaxy_**

 **3rd person POV...**

On board the Decepticon warship the Nemesis, two Vehicons dragged a prisoner onto the bridge where the Decepticon's second-in-command Starscream, and Chief Communications officer Soundwave were standing at the helm. When the Autobot was dropped behind him, Starscream turns around and smirks down at his newest captive.

"They said it couldn't be done. The one called Arcee is too quick, too stealthy to be captured," he says, leaning down and grabbing her lightly by the chin. "And here we are with a rare opportunity to make history."

He stands back up and gestures to Soundwave, who stood as silent as ever. "You see, I have intercepted this encrypted Autobot signal. And if it's encrypted, it must be important. Decode it for me, and I will see to it that you perish quickly!" he orders.

Arcee lets out a soft mumbling sound, and Starscream frowns down at her. "Speak up! I can't hear you when you whimper!"

She looks up slowly, glaring furiously at him with her blue optics. "Get... fragged!"

Starscream gasps lightly in brief surprise, before quickly letting off an amused and sinister chuckle, smirking at her again.

"Perhaps you would be more inclined to cooperate, when it is not your own wellbeing at stake," he states with a frown, clenching his fist.

The sound of more stomping has Arcee widening her optics briefly and looking to her left, where two Vehicons force down another Autobot, this one with red armor and horns on his head. He grins at her calmly, not at all phased by their predicament.

"Arcee. Been a while," Cliffjumper greets casually.

Arcee keeps staring at him with some measure of bewilderment, and then turns her attention back to Starscream as he speaks again.

"Give me the encryption code! Or I will add your comrade Cliffjumper to the multitude of fallen Autobots below!" he threatens.

"Scrap him, I barely know the guy," she scoffs coldly.

"Ouch. Glad I'm not the sensitive type," Cliffjumper remarks.

Starscream turns around to gaze out the viewport, which was showcasing the barren wasteland of Cybertron: a dead world of lifeless metal buildings and Cybertronian corpses by now.

"Cybertron is little more than a graveyard now. Give, me, the _codes_!" he yells angrily, whipping around to glare at Arcee.

"I'm not afraid of you Starscream. You're no Megatron!" she retorts fiercely.

"You know, I hear the Andromeda galaxy has its own hacker, called Jarik Shan," Cliffjumper comments randomly. "From what I've heard, I bet even he could also kick your tailpipe 'Scream."

Starscream's optics twitch in rage, and a moment later he lifts his arm and slashes down his sharp claws with a furious yell.

*:*:*

In a cell much later, the door was opened to allow two Vehicons to roughly toss Cliffjumper inside. He collapsed to the floor with a pained groan, and Arcee rushed over to him in concern as the door closed.

"Cliffjumper! Are you...?" she ask uncertainly, blue optics filled with worry.

"I... I can't..." he struggles to say, slowly trying to look up, only for an amused grin to appear on his face. "I can't believe you actually care."

Arcee blinks in surprise before scowling at him, standing back up. Cliffjumper immediately gets to his feet with no trouble at all and stretches his arms out, which Arcee leans away from in annoyance.

"The only thing I care about, is whether you talked just now," she snaps at him, a hand on her hip.

Cliffjumper sighs in relief as he stretches his joints out, and then walks over to the cell wall casually. "You were always this nice to your rescuers?" he asks.

Arcee glances away in guilt for a brief moment before hardening her gaze, approaching him again. He was feeling along the walls for any sort of weak point, and quickly resorted to banging on them a couple times in frustration.

"Didn't answer my question," she states.

Cliffjumper continues to feel along the walls with his hand while Arcee follows him. "I got bored with Starscream's little workout. So I idled my engines and. fake shutdown. 'Scream bought it," he says with a grin.

"How did you wind up here?" she asks.

"Intercepted some chatter about a Decepticon operation on the old home planet," he explains. "So I follow the signal and find Starscream shipping massive amounts of energon to Cybertron. What's your story?"

"Same," she replies stiffly, not wanting to discuss it any further.

"You know, I once heard another story from the Andromeda galaxy, about how a guy named Jarik Shan and his friend, Ahsoka I think, were once captured by a group of pirates," Cliffjumper comments. "They eventually had to form an alliance with those guys to fight off against an army of machines called droids, had a duel with the machine leader and then bam! They're home free!"

"I fail to see why that's relevant to our current predicament," Arcee snaps in annoyance.

"Oh it isn't really, just thought it'd be a cool inspirational talk," he replies casually with a shrug. "I wasn't kidding though when I think Shan can beat Starscream in a fight."

"I don't see how he could stand up to a Decepticon. He's a human," she states in disagreement.

"He's a human _Jedi_ ," he corrects her with a grin. "And a powerful one at that."

Arcee growls at him in annoyance, narrowing her optics angrily. "What's your fascination with Jarik Shan anyways? We have bigger problems to worry about than what goes on in Andromeda!"

"Hey come on, I admire the guy! He's a war hero, and a powerful warrior," he says defensively, a little bit of awe in his optics. "And he was also a huge help in saving his galaxy from that so-called Galactic Empire! Not to mention he brought the Jedi Order back from the brink of extinction. Practically the entire universe has at least heard of his _name_ at least by this point! He's like the Jedi version of Optimus Prime!" he finishes eagerly.

"Whatever," she replies dismissively, looking away glumly.

"You're quite the conversationalist," he remarks in amusement, causing her to jump in brief surprise when he leans closer to her.

*:*:*

Starscream growls angrily, completed frustrated by his inability to gain the code from Arcee.

"Agh! I've tried every interrogation, and nothing is working! I would just eliminate them but the code they carry is too valuable!" he goes on a rant, pacing and clenching his fists while Soundwave calmly works at his station. Starscream then falters, thinking about something said earlier.

"Cliffjumper did mention something about the one called Jarik Shan, from the Andromeda galaxy," he muses, a smirk slowly forming on his face. "Perhaps if we were to find that human and use him as leverage against the Autobots, the code would be revealed to us."

 _"Scrap him, I barely know the guy,"_ Arcee's voice echoes out of Soundwave, making him scowl.

"Oh yes, of course Arcee does not seem to be the type that cares for the wellbeing of strangers," he mutters angrily. "If only I could break them open and just take it!"

Hearing that statement Soundwave stops in his work, getting Starscream's attention, and points out of the viewport towards Cybertron. Starscream follows his gaze and thinks about what he was implying before frowning in disapproval.

"No, I will not take the prisoners to the surface! Why should I let _him_ have all the glory?" he demands with a growl.

 _"The code they carry is too valuable,"_ Soundwave replies with Starscream's voice.

Starscream straightens up slowly in thought before growling in reluctant agreement. "Alright, since I must deliver the energon to him anyway..."

* * *

 ** _Later..._**

Arcee and Cliffjumper were both rushing through the spacebridge portal as fast as they could when a powerful blast of violet energy exploded in front of them. They whipped around in alarm to see Shockwave marching determinedly for them, his arm cannon raised. It glows purple before another shot is fired, and the two duck underneath it.

"Give him everything you've got!" Cliffjumper exclaims.

The two Autobots activate their arm blasters and start firing as much as they could, unleashing a heavy barrage of blue energon bolts at Shockwave. However the Decepticon Scientist's tough armor proved to be invaluable, as their shots didn't even dent or bounce him back, and he continued to charge through them. He charges up his cannon again and unleashes another shot, which explodes between the two. Arcee and Cliffjumper were both knocked to the ground, the latter falling unconscious.

Arcee shakes her head briefly and then glances behind her to see Cliffjumper knocked out. Looking forwards she could see Shockwave stomping towards them resolutely, his red optic gleaming. She stands back to her feet and faces him in a standoff with her own fierce gaze of determination. He waves his arm cannon, and then after a few moments, charges up and fires a purple energon blast straight at her. She swiftly leans out of the way and raises her own blaster, aiming and then shooting back her own bolt in retaliation.

The blue energon bolt lands a direct hit against Shockwave's optic, causing him to yell out in pain and bring his hand to his head. By now Cliffjumper had recovered and watched the whole thing go down, grinning eagerly at the result.

"Woooh! Bullseye!" he exclaims. "Just like when Jarik-"

"You can tell your Shan comparison later, come on!" Arcee interrupts, dashing out of the portal.

Cliffjumper swiftly follows her, leaving Shockwave behind to continuously groan in pain. He tries to aim his cannon at the two as they run, attempting to shoot them down but he was unable to aim properly. The portal began to break up in a series of explosions within the vortex, resulting in a massive explosion just as the two Autobots leapt through the other side.

*:*:*

 ** _Earth; Milky Way Galaxy_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Above the dry deserts of Jasper Nevada, the air seems to flicker before a green and blue colored portal appears, sparks flickering around it. Two large humanoid robots, one red with horns and another, smaller one with a blue paint job both come flying out of the portal, landing on the ground in a heap. As soon as they're clear, the portal seems to implode in on itself, sparks flashing violently before it disappears.

Arcee and Cliffjumper lay beside each other on the ground for a moment, recovering from the battle.

"You think Shockwave survived?" Arcee asks.

"Hope so. I want a rematch!" Cliffjumper replies eagerly.

They both open their eyes and Arcee stands up on her feet. Cliffjumper lifts himself up with a groan as she approaches him. "Let's find Optimus, partner," she says, holding out her hand to him with a smile. Cliffjumper returns the grin, grabbing her hand and she pulls him to his feet.

He chuckles as they look around at the barren rock surrounding them. "Rich on energon huh?" he says skeptically. "Hope the whole rock doesn't look like this. Reminds me of the time I was lost in the Sea of Rust, back on Cybertron, except back then I was separated from my unit with absolutely no one to talk to!" he comments.

"Talk at?" she corrects him.

"Admit it! You love the company!" he exclaims happily.

"Maybe we could find you Jarik Shan for some company," she replies sarcastically.

"Now that, I would love," he says in agreement.

It wasn't too much longer when a bridge opened up in front of the two. They stopped walking and tensed up in preparation of a fight incase it was Decepticons. However based on the figure that walked through that wouldn't be necessary, as it was one they were both familiar with. The tall and imposing, yet gentle figure of Optimus Prime strode through the bridge and gave them a welcoming smile.

"Arcee, Cliffjumper. Welcome to earth," he greets them.

"Glad to be here sir," Cliffjumper replies with a nod, and Arcee smiles as well.

Another figure then steps through the portal to stand beside Optimus, causing Arcee to widen her optics in absolute shock, almost not believing what she was seeing at all. It, it couldn't be...

"Elita?!" she asks meekly.

"Arcee," Elita-One greets happily. "It's been a long time since I've seen you sister!"

* * *

 _Yay, the first chapter of the Transformers Prime story!_

 _Plenty of Jarik references in here lol. Turns out he's not just known in his own galaxy, but in another as well. Not to mention Cliffjumper is an admirer! :P_


	3. Ch 2 - Darkness Rising Pt 1

_**USA Countryside; Earth -**_ **May 2012**

 **3rd person POV...**

"So there I am on a lookout when out of nowhere these high beams light up my rearview. And then it hits me: I'm illegally parked!"

 _"Another parking ticket?"_ Arcee asks with dry amusement.

"Better. The boot," Cliffjumper replies, and if he was in his bipedal mode he would be grinning.

 _"Big metal tire clamp, impossible to remove,"_ she deadpans.

"Bingo! So the local police do that thing, and get me all the way down by a block. That's when I kick off my new shiny shoe and BANG!" he exclaims.

"New York's finest soil themselves," she says in amusement.

"You know me, Arcee. You mess with Cliffjumper-"

 _"And you get the horns,"_ she finishes, and he laughs in response. _"Not sure how that complies with Autobot rule number one: 'Keep a low profile?'"_

"What can I say? Patrolling for energon out here is dull and gets me all on lonesome. Almost makes me miss the Decepticons," he remarks wistfully.

 _"Like Jasper Nevada's a party? We're alone where ever we travel on this rock, Cliff,"_ she retorts. _"You keep this up and you'll be following your role model's footsteps."_

"Well, a guy can only dream," he replies, and if he could he would've shrugged. "Although it could be possible considering what's been going on the last few years. Wouldn't that be something?"

 _"Uh huh, sure."_

"Aw, give me a break Arcee, Elita's got some history with the guy! I'm jealous!" he exclaims.

 _"Something you can't ever stop pestering her about,"_ she replies.

"Hey, she actually enjoys talking to me about it," he says in defense. His scanners suddenly start beeping, and he focuses in on his radar. "I'm getting a signal."

 _"Need backup?"_ Arcee asks.

"Do I ever need backup?" he replies confidently.

Cliffjumper turns off the road and starts driving through the dirt in the direction of the signal he was receiving. It didn't take him long before he came across a huge pit in the ground, filled to the brim with massive energon crystals. He stops at the edge of the pit, looking down in awe and eagerness. This amount of energon would be enough to set them up for years!

"I just found a whole lot of energon!" he exclaims excitedly.

A shadow suddenly crosses over him, getting rid of his good mood as he quickly identifies the cause. He immediately transforms into his bipedal mode, looking up in alarm at the sight of the massive Decepticon warship, the Nemesis. The area around him rumbles in response to the ship's presence.

"Decepticons," he informs Arcee.

From the bottom of the warship, a turret swings out and aims at him, releasing a large energon blast of a red color. The laser slams into the ground before him, causing a massive explosion and sending him plummeting into the energon deposit with a pained cry. He slowly pulls himself back to his feet, looking up as he spots a large team of Vehicon drones landing at the top of the deposit where he was moments ago. They all glare down at him with their faceless visors, and he grits his teeth.

"Arcee... about that backup," he tells her.

 _"Cliff, where are- ou-"_ she asks in concern, but the transmission cuts out with static.

Cliffjumper scowls up at the cons, figuring that they were jamming his communications. He gets into a fighting stances, staring unflinchingly at his many opponents.

"Fair warning boys. I'll put a few dings in ya," he threatens with a cool demeanor.

He takes a few steps forwards and then transforms back into his vehicle mode, gunning it up the cliff side. Using the momentum, he transformers back into bipedal mode while in the air, the Decepticons watching. He seems to hover in the air for a moment, but then falls back down, pulling back his fist and unleashing a mighty punch.

* * *

 _"Arcee to Optimus, the Cons are back! Cliff might be neck-deep in scrap!"_

 _"Understood. Ratchet, do you have Cliffjumper's coordinates?"_

 _"I'm locked onto his signal, Optimus. But our team is scattered across the timezones."_

 _"Elita-One, Ironhide, Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee. Rendezvous back at base prepare to ground bridge."_

* * *

One of the Vehicons is tossed off of the cliff, Cliffjumper having thrown him off. He dodges around another cons' attack and kicks him away, before crying out in pain as he was struck in the back of the neck. He was hit forwards, and another con kicked him as well. A final Vehicon pulled his fist back and delivered a powerful uppercut. Cliffjumper was sent flying into the air and back down the mine, one of his horns being smashed off from the force of the blow. He hits the ground before managing to flip himself back onto his feet.

The Vehicons start to jump their way down, all landing in a line as Cliffjumper pulls himself back up fully. He glares at them, transforming his arms into energon blasters with a flurry.

"You want the horns? You got'em," he states.

With a viscious barrage, Cliffjumper unleashes his payload of blue energon bolts at the Vehicons. Several of the bolts explode and kill a couple of them, but they quickly retaliate with their own blaster fire, unleashing energon bolts of red energy. Cliffjumper dashes forwards, twirling around the red blasts while firing his own back with expert precision, getting closer.

However the concentrated fire of the Vehicons slammed into a few large energon crystals behind him, causing them to explode in a massive fiery outburst, smashing into Cliffjumper. He yells out in surprise and pain, the blast wave hitting him in the back while the rest of the Vehicons run to try and escape it. The blue energon explosion was so large that it almost managed to reach the bottom of the Nemesis's hull.

From the smoke, two Vehicons were pulling a badly wounded Cliffjumper forwards, headed back to the ship.

* * *

On board the bridge of the Nemesis, Starscream watched the explosion through the monitors with an irritated scowl. This was not he wanted at all, and now the energon was completely wasted! Uselesss!

"The energon, it's worthless to me now," he growls in disgust.

The door to the bridge opens, and Starscream turns around to watch as two Vehicons drag Cliffjumper forwards. He was badly wounded, scratches, dents, and large gashes evident all over his chassis, not to mention the scorch marks from the explosion. Once they stop in front of Starscream, he slowly looks up to gaze at him, coughing up energon.

"Scream, it's been a while," he says with some difficulty, coughing up more energon. "So, where's your master?"

"Never mind him!" Starscream scowls, slashing his claws. "I am my own master!"

"If you say so. Maybe a good beat down from my man Jarik would straighten you out even better than buckethead could," he replies in amusement, managing to smirk up at Starscream.

However Starscream growls in rage, and with a swift strike of his clawed hands he impales Cliffjumper in the chest and directly to his spark, causing him to let out a yell of agonizing pain. He glances weakly at Starscream's puncture mark as the Decepticon second-in-command pulled him forwards with a leering grin.

"Any more questions, or snide remarks?" he asks mockingly.

Pulling out his hand, energon leaks from Cliffjumper's body in high amounts, and with one final groan the Autobot collapses to the floor, dead. Starscream regards him for a few moments in disgust before waving his hand dismissively.

"Clean that up," he orders.

* * *

Back at the destroyed energon deposit, a groundbridge portal opened up at the top of the cliff, revealing Ratchet who drove out in vehicle form, transforming upon exiting. He was followed by Bulkhead, then by Bumblebee, Arcee, Ironhide, and Elita-One, all of whom activated their weapons and aimed them around the area cautiously. Finally, Optimus Prime drove out of the portal and transformed, landing on the ground with a heavy thud. Standing up to his feet, he pulls out his own blaster and aimed it around the area as the portal closed.

However, seeing that there was no danger in sight they all deactivated their weapons and walked forwards to the edge of the pit, surveying the scene.

"An untapped energon deposit," Optimus observes.

"What's left of it," Bulkhead adds.

"The first Deception activity in three years," Ratchet states in concern.

"That we know of," Optimus reminds them, pulling back his battlemask. "If they're scouting for energon, they may be preparing for his return."

"And that is certainly not a good thing," Elita says grimly.

"If the Decepticons are making a move again, we'll have to be ready for those punks," Ironhide states gruffly.

The Autobots all move around the area to search for any sign of Cliffjumper, Arcee and Bumblebee both scouting ahead and jumping down nimbly into the destroyed energon deposit. Elita jumps down after them as well, and after a quick look around, Arcee notices something that has her faltering in horror with a gasp. She reaches down and picks up a broken horn: Cliffjumper's horn.

"No," she whispers softly, holding it out to Ratchet to examine.

"Ratchet, can you track his position?" Optimus asks.

Ratchet nods, pulling out his wrist tracker and quickly spotting Cliffjumper's signal on the screen. It was moving away from them quickly, but to his horror, the signal beeps before fading away. "No! Cliffjumper's life signal just went offline..."

Ironhide growls in anger, swinging out a fist to destroy a still standing pillar of rock, while Bumblebee and Bulkhead look down sadly. Arcee shuts her eyes tightly in grief, holding Cliffjumper's horn close while Elita stand beside her, offering a comforting hug to her sister.

"I'm sorry sister..." she murmurs in regret.

* * *

 _ **Jasper Nevada; Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

At the top of the missile silo that served as the Autobot's base, the team had erected a grave made of stone boulders in memory of Cliffjumper, not having a body to bury in the ground. Arcee walked forwards sadly, holding Cliffjumper's horn in her hand to gently place it on the grave, while Optimus gave an eulogy in his memory.

"We must not allow our anger over the lost of Cliffjumper to impair our judgement. As of today only we seven Autobots remain on this Earth. We owe it to ourselves, to the memory of Cybertron, to any Autobots in any galaxies seeking safe harbour, to humankind, and to those who have protected this planet before," he says firmly, but with a deep sorrow. "And we owe it to the memory of our fallen comrade... to survive."

Arcee then begins to march away from the group, prompting Elita to turn towards her in concern. "Arcee..."

"If Cliff's gone standing around here sulking won't bring him back," she states bitterly. "So unless anyone minds, I think I'll get back to protecting humankind."

With those words, Arcee transforms into her motorcycle form and speeds off, the others watching her go sadly.

"Optimus, helping humans will only result in more tragedy," Ratchet says grimly.

"Your opinion is noted," he replies, before glancing at Elita. "Elita, could you please keep an eye on Arcee?"

"Of course Optimus," she replies with a firm nod.

She transforms down into her Alfa Romeo 4C vehicle mode and then speeds off in the direction of Arcee, worried for her wellbeing. She wasn't around when Arcee lost her first partner Tailgate, being trapped in stasis underneath the caverns of the planet Ahch-To in the Andromeda Galaxy where she was discovered by Jarik Shan. However she's since learned about what happened from both Arcee and Cliffjumper, and the struggles that she had to go through to overcome her cold demeanor.

Now Elita is just worried that she might go down the same path yet again.

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

Life in the town of Jasper, Nevada was about as interesting as you can get. Please note the sarcasm.

Everything was in a small community, so everybody knew each other, which meant that all of the residents know or know of everyone in town. This also means that if you're the school loser, your reputation is basically tarnished, and nobody wants to hang out with you. Thankfully I'm not one of those people, as that title resides with Jack Darby. However I'm not exactly popular either, and nobody pays too much attention to me, which I suppose I should be grateful for. My only real friends are Sierra, Rafael Esquivel, and Miko Nakadai.

Sierra is basically the kind of friend that you hang out with during school, but otherwise don't pay attention to otherwise. Raf I know because he lives only a couple houses down from mine. Everyone lives in the same general neighborhood, but Raf is the closest to me. And Miko... she just likes to follow me around. If I had to guess I would say it's because I seem like a reckless and tough "butt-kicking" girl, similar to Miko herself. In reality I just don't care too much, and actually find her a little bit annoying because she just doesn't shut up.

I suppose from an outward appearance I do seem like that, and I am a little unique in the fact that I'm one of, if not the only person in town that has blonde hair and pure blue eyes. I'm also a junior at 17 years of age and I also once competed in sports, although I've fallen away from that now, and I do have some skill in tinkering with vehicles though it's more of a side hobby.

But aside from my life story, today was just like any other day. My parents work late nights so I have plenty of time to myself before they get back. Usually I get myself some dinner from K.O. Burger, which is also the place that Jack works at.

Finishing off my burger, I crumple up the paper and then toss it at the nearby trash can, allowing myself some satisfaction when I make the shot. Obnoxious laughing from the drive-thru followed by Jack's protest as a car speeds away has me rolling my eyes in exasperation.

"Morons," I mutter to myself.

No doubt that was Vince and his posse taking the food before paying, which is just immature. How the adults put up with him is beyond me...

Taking a sip, I almost don't pay attention to the sight of a blue motorcycle coming in to park nearby, or that three cars of the exact same design or shape drove by afterwards. However I gave a curious glance at the motorcycle as it parked, finding a resemblance to what I think is an Aprilia RSV motorcycle, not too common around here. The lady riding it must be passing through.

I glance away for a brief moment to take another sip from my Sprite, before narrowing my eyes in confusion as my gaze returns to the motorcycle. The lady who was just on a moment ago is... gone, like she vanished. Puzzling over it for a second, I simply shrug before going back to my drink. Probably wasn't paying attention.

Once again I don't bother as another car enters the parking lot, faintly recognizing it as some sort of Alfa Romeo, although I still have to raise an eyebrow at seeing its paint job to be pink. I scoff to myself, wondering why anyone would want their car to be pink in color. It wasn't the horrendous hot-pink, more of a magenta. Still, there are plenty of other colors to choose from, but people have their own preferences.

"Hey, mom, I just got off..." the voice of Jack Darby has me glancing over as I see him exit the building, his shift being over. "No, I'm not going to the dance... Experience suggests I should never cut a rug. Unless I'm stowing carpet..."

I make a face at the conversation, letting out a quiet sigh. I grab my empty cup and stand to my feet, moving over towards the trash can to throw it away while Jack talks with his mom.

"Be careful? Seriously? This is a Jasper..." he says sarcastically, and I can't help but nod in agreement at the statement.

"I love you..." he suddenly trails off weirdly.

A quick glance show's that he's ogling at the motorcycle with a wanting gaze, and I hum in amusement, going back to my business. It was no secret around school that Jack really enjoyed motorcycles, although he tries to play it off.

"I-I love you too, Mom, I got run!" he quickly says into his phone, snapping it shut.

"Hello, beautiful. Where have you been all my life?" he says quietly, walking over to the motorcycle. He runs his hands along the clean exterior with wonder in his eyes. "Nice..."

Then to my bewilderment, he actually climbs onto the motorcycle! "It may take a few K.O. paychecks, but I am gonna own a ride like you someday."

Noticing Sierra and one of her friends approaching, I can only imagine this ending poorly, with Jack embarrassing himself again. Tossing the cup into the trash, I move over to get in on some of the action.

"Are you talking to your motorcycle?" Sierra suddenly asks, drawing him out of his daydreaming. The girls all life and he looks up in alarm, face turning red in embarrassment.

"My motorcycle? No, I mean, yes- yes! It's mine, but I-I'm not talking to it-I, was talking to you... I-I am," he stammers.

"Real smooth Darby," I comment, leaning against the pink color car with my arms crossed.

"Oh- uh... hey Alex," he greets sheepishly. I give a casual wave in response, and he quickly turns his attention back towards Sierra. "So how's things, Sierra? Take you for a spin sometime?"

"You know my name?" she asks in surprise.

"Trust me, you're all he things about," I mutter quietly to myself.

I was probably imagining it, but I could've sworn the car I was leaning against shook slightly in some form of laughter. Whatever.

"We are in homeroom together. I am Jack, Jack Darby," he introduces, putting on what he hopes is a charming smile.

Bright lights from the end of the parking lot suddenly flare at us, and I raise a hand to cover my eyes, squinting against the blinding light. Looking past it I notice two of those cars from earlier at the end of the lot, pointed directly at us.

"What the heck is up with these weirdos?" I ask in confusion.

I stare at the two cars cautiously for a few moments, but the cars then charge forwards directly for us. Sierra and her friend run away screaming, and I backed up in alarm as well.

Jack was about to dismount the bike and do the same, when all of a sudden it started revving up and going into a wheelie, turning around! Jack screams in surprise and alarm as he and the bike shoot off straight for the two cars, just barely screeching by in between them. The two cars swerve around in response to give chase, and I run for the edge of the parking lot as well.

"Jack!" I yell out in alarm, coming to a stop by the edge of the road, watching as they took off in a chase.

Just then I hear another roaring engine, and look down the other end of the road to see the third car charging for me at full speed.

"Seriously?" I cry out in disbelief, turning to run away from it.

The purple car seems like it's just about to hit me when the pink car from the parking lot suddenly drives forwards out of nowhere and slams into its side. The purple car is sent careening off the side of the road while the pink car swerves in front of me, the passenger door opening. I skid to a stop with wide eyes, confused and afraid.

"Climb in!" a female voice says.

"W-what?!" I exclaim incredulously.

"It's either me or that guy, so hurry up!" she states urgently.

I glance between the pink car and the other one, which was swerving around to chase me again. I decide to take my chances and got into the car, only to widen my eyes upon seeing nobody at the wheel.

"What the heck?" I ask in bewilderment, but the door then shut.

"Hang on kid!" the woman's voice says, coming from the speakers.

The car then shoots off down the street as the purple car begins giving chase. I grip onto the arm rests for dear life, eyes wide as we swerved down a few streets, the other keeping pace with us. My car then performs a sharp u-turn, evading the purple car as it speeds by. We then turn down an alleyway, and the door opens. I don't hesitate for a second in climbing out, staring at the car with wide eyes.

"Here's where I drop you off. Gonna warn you against saying anything about this, otherwise there will be trouble," the car warns me.

"G-got it!" I say quickly with a nod, backing away. "Not a word!"

I then turn around and start running away from the area as quickly as possible, and the pink car shoots off in another direction as well. I almost let out a sigh of relief upon thinking the ordeal is over, when I spot the purple car turning around the alleyway behind me and drive in my direction. I widen my eyes in fear and start sprinting away again as the car chases me down, knocking aside the occasional trash can.

"Are you kidding me? What did I even do?!" I cry out in protest, but the purple car continues getting closer.

The Alfa Romeo then returns behind the purple car, driving alongside it before slamming against its side, forcing it to grind against the wall and then skid to a halt. I don't know whether to be worried or grateful at seeing the Alfa Romeo as it pulls up alongside me while I was still running, opening its door again.

"Hop in!" she-I'm gonna start referring to it as a she-says.

This time I don't hesitate to dive in as the purple car charges for us again, and the door slams shut behind me. My car immediately shoots off at a high speed and turns back onto the road, while the purple car gives chase. I vaguely notice as the seatbelt slides down and connects with a click, too focused on the car chasing us.

"What's with this guy?" I ask incredulously.

"That's not some simple guy, kid," the car replies, swerving onto another road on the edge of the downtown area-if it could be called that.

Then to my shock and terror, a pair of wicked looking guns straight out of a science fiction movie pop up from the car's hood, and begins firing red lasers in our direction. They strike all around us while the Alfa swerves to avoid the shots.

"Now he's shooting at us!" I exclaim.

"Oh really? I never noticed!" she replies sarcastically.

I whip around to stare at the radio in bewilderment. "Did you just sass me?"

"Yeah I did," she retorts. "Picked it up from an old friend, but that's not important!"

She then swerves off of the road and onto a dirt slope, headed for a concrete sewer canal. I stare forwards with wide eyes as we race across the rough terrain, gripping onto the chair for dear life as the purple car continues to follow us, still shooting its lasers. I let out a yelp as we shoot off the edge and land in the canal with a thud, the seatbelt keeping me in place from smashing against the window. All the while the purple car was still hot on our tail.

"He doesn't know when to quit!" I comment, glancing back at the car uneasily.

"Oh he will soon," she replies confidently.

The sight in front of us then has me gaping in shock. Right next to the bridge underneath the highway... two large purple robots were fighting a smaller, blue robot! The blue robot was backflipping away from red laser shots before being hit in the chest, hitting the ground hard with a feminine sounding grunt.

"Uhh, what is that?" I ask nervously.

"That, is where you'll have to get out," she tells me, a hint of anger and worry in her voice.

"What?" I exclaim in alarm.

The Alfa Romeo then amps up the speed, going as fast as she could while slowly leaving our pursuer behind. I anxiously watch as we make a beeline straight for the purple robots, crying out in alarm and covering my head with my hands as we crash right into the feet. The impact shakes me up harshly, but surprisingly we didn't receive any damage, the two robots collapsing to the ground behind us. The car then drifts to a stop, and the seatbelt comes loose at the same time as the door opens.

Getting the message I clamber out quickly, backing away in shock as the car then transforms into a tall robot as well, this one taking on a distinctly feminine appearance, which makes sense considering her voice. She turns around to face the other two robots in a fighting position, which quickly turns into three robots as our pursuer also turns into a robot, looking just like the other two.

"Alex?" someone says, and I look over to see that Raf had spoken.

"Raf? Jack?" I ask in surprise, quickly running over to them.

"What are you doing here?" Jack asks in bewilderment.

"Same as you, I guess?" I reply helplessly.

The sound of laser guns shooting has us looking over to see the purple robots shooting at the robot I was with, the latter of which was rushing for them. She rolls underneath a few laser blasts and then pops up with a punch, catching one of them in the chin. The smaller blue robot holds its head as it gets to its feet, and this one also appears to be female. The Alfa Romeo robot ducks underneath an attempted punch and then lashes out with another foot, kicking one of them away.

She faces the other two when a roaring engine above us gets our attention, and we watch as a yellow and black muscle car drops off the bridge, transforming into _another_ robot. The yellow robot lands on one of the purple ones, smacking it down, and then draws back his fist to deliver a deadly punch to the last one. He stomps on the second robots to make sure it stays down, and then takes a step back...

Right onto Raf's toy car.

"Well that's not good," the Alfa Romeo robot comments.

The yellow robot freezes in alarm and then looks down, removing his foot to see the crushed remains of the toy car. I wince at the sight, knowing that Raf enjoyed electric toy cars almost as much as Jack loves motorcycles. The robot looks over to us and beeps out a strange sentence, probably trying to apologize.

"No problem, really!" Raf tries to reassure the robot, not as upset as he normally would be. I guess you can make amends when you see giant robots fighting.

Speaking of which, the third purple robot that was punched away by the Alfa Romeo swiftly came back with its own retaliation, catching her off guard and punching her in the face. At the same time the second robot sent a laser blast at the yellow one to send him flying, while the first robot kicked the Alfa Romeo to the ground to land beside the yellow one. One of the purple robots slammed its foot down on the yellow one's head, and then stepped back. All three of them aimed their weapons towards the two downed robots, much to our worry.

"Leave them alone!" Raf yells.

Panic runs through me as he yells that, since all it does is draw the attention of the robots, aiming their guns in our direction.

"...please?" he adds meekly.

"Not the best moment Raf," I say nervously.

One of the three robots gives a nod to the other two, and then starts stomping towards us. The two downed robots look in our direction with apparent worry, but the three of us were already running away as fast as we could once it started marching for us.

"Come on, come on!" Jack yells.

We turn around a corner and start running for a large sewer drain on the side of the canal, the robot stomping slowly towards us and causing the ground to shake with each step. Me and Jack help Raf climb into the drain before pulling ourselves up, just as the robot reaches the drain. It crouches down and starts reaching for us with a clawed, three-fingered hand, slowly edging closer.

"Keep moving!" Jack yells.

The hand brushes against my hair just a smidgen before it suddenly is pulled away. The three of us stop in surprise and look back to see the robot being yanked away, followed by the sounds of crashing. Moments later the yellow robot appears at the drain to look at us, his eyes wide in what seem to be concern. I flinch at the sight of him, but he doesn't seem threatening, and starts talking with its weird beeps.

"Thank you," Raf says with a small smile.

The robot beeps again in apparent satisfaction before moving away, probably returning back to the fight.

"I think we're good now," I remark hopefully, and we start moving back down the drain again.

"What did we just see?" Raf asks us uneasily.

"No idea, but I'm not sure I wanna find out," Jack replies.

"I'll say," I add in agreement.

* * *

 **Elita-One POV...**

"Are the kids okay Bee?" I ask him, kicking one of the Vehicons away.

 _:They're alright!:_ he replies, running forwards.

Bumblebee slams his fist into one of the Vehicon's, but the third blindsides him with a punch, and then knees him in the face to send him flying. I look over at him in concern, watching Arcee tend to him, before facing the cons as they advance on me. I duck underneath or evade a few of their attacks, and roundhouse kick one of them into another. However the last Vehicon manages to retaliate before I could, shooting me in the chest with an energon blast. I'm blown backwards, but quickly pop back up with a roll, standing between Bumblebee and Arcee.

"This could be going better," I say irritably.

"They just don't know when to quit," Arcee replies in agreement, grunting in a brief bit of pain from the hit she took.

The three Vehicons march towards us menacingly, and we get into battle ready stances, prepared to fight them off. Loud honking from behind us gets all of our attention, and we turn around, squinting our optics at the bright light. A dark green SUV and a GMC Topkick charge forwards while blaring their horns and then transform, leaping into the air and landing behind us with heavy thuds. Bulkhead bashes his fists together eagerly while Ironhide brings out his famous arm cannons, a menacing grin on his face.

"You feeling lucky punks?" he threatens.

With renewed confidence, we all face the Vehicons in ready battle stances. They take one good look at us before immediately transforming into their vehicle modes and getting out of here as fast as they could. Probably a smart idea to be honest, considering Ironhide is one trigger happy bot.

Seeing that the cons are now gone, we take a moment to recover from the battle, and Bumblebee leans over with his hands on his knees in exhaustion. Arcee and I both look up at the heavy hitters with questioning glances.

"What took you?" she demands.

"Traffic," Bulkhead replies, shrugging helplessly.

Arcee's expression falls to a deadpan while Bumblebee glances up in annoyance. I raise an optic ridge at the two in disbelief, managing an amused smirk.

"Seriously? You two of all people?" I comment.

"Don't even get me started femme," Ironhide grumbles irritably in response.

* * *

Later back at the base, we were giving our report of the events to Optimus, since I know that the inclusion of humans would definitely concern him. It also concerns me as well for that matter, considering that I already know firsthand how much the Decepticons target people like them in order to hurt us.

"And the cons would've been scrap metal if I hadn't been distracted by the human," Arcee finishes in displeasure.

I can feel Optimus's alarm increase instantly through our spark-bond, but as usual he barely gives any outward reaction.

"Human?" he questions.

 _:There were two boys and a girl:_ Bumblebee explains, holding up three fingers for emphasis.

"Two boys and a girl," he comments with a frown.

"The girl and one of the boys was seen with us when the Vehicons attacked, so we had to get them out of there," I explain.

"And the second boy?" Optimus asks.

"I guess the second one caught us in the action? I don't know! Was a little busy at the time," Arcee says bitterly, and I glance over at her with concern.

"If the Decepticons are targeting us, anyone perceived as our ally will be at risk," he states grimly, glancing away from the computer terminal to look at me as Bumblebee. "And unlike past experiences, they are unable to defend themselves."

Bumblebee and I share glances with each other, knowing the other's history in regards to the same family. Thousands of years ago, while I was still in stasis, he became friends with a Jedi named Satele Shan. Likewise, I became a good friend of her much more recent descendant Jarik Shan, along with his family. The fact that we both are involved with the same family is a bit of a funny coincidence to be honest.

 _:I understand Optimus:_ Bumblebee says in confirmation.

"We'll make sure these kids aren't in danger," I reassure him.

"Please make sure that you do," he requests cautiously, and I send him a small smile.

 _"Of course I will Optimus,"_ I tell him through our spark-bond.

 _"I don't doubt you for a second,"_ he replies, also smiling.

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

The crazy event of yesterday to be quite honest still would not leave my mind, even after the school day is over with. I suppose it can be completely understandable, since they were giant fighting robots, but still.

Jack exits the school building a few feet in front of me, and I follow after him to get outside as well, minding my own business. He walks down the steps while completely bypassing Miko, who also ignores him, as she's focused on her drawing. However she does glance up when I move to walk by and her eyes light up with joy, and she waves me over.

"Oh oh, Alex! Hey!" she exclaims excitedly.

"Hey Miko," I reply with a quiet sigh, plopping down on the wall beside her.

"I hear there's going to be this big rock concert happening next week, and I'm hoping to get my host parents to let me go. Wanna come with?" she asks eagerly.

"Sorry, but I've got things to do," I tell her.

"Dude, you never have things to do!" she protests.

I raise an eyebrow at her but she shrugs dismissively in response, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Aw it's fine, I was actually lying anyways."

"Of course you were," I deadpan, rolling my eyes.

"Hey, check it out! Coolest bike ever," she says, showing me her drawing she was working on.

Looking at it, the drawing was really the most basic of drawings, not looking to great if I have to be brutally honest. There were a couple of hearts above her bike drawing, as well as two rainbows with clouds, and a sun.

"Cool," I offer in response. "Looks like a motorcycle. What kind are you trying to draw?"

"Oh, the one right in front of us!" she answers, gesturing with her pencil before continuing.

I look in the direction she was pointing before freezing up in shock, recognizing the motorcycle as the same one from yesterday, which could turn into a robot as well. I gape dumbly at it for a few moments, Miko not noticing since she was coloring.

"There's also a pink car nearby as well," she adds casually, before making a face. "I mean, seriously? A pink car? I like pink but why would you make your car pink? At least it's more of a magenta color..." she rambles on.

Shifting my gaze from my motorcycle, I also spot the Alfa Romeo car as well just a few parking spaces away. Glancing over in Jack's direction I notice him talking to Raf and standing before another car... the yellow robot from yesterday. Then Raf gets it, and the car speeds off while Jack tries to follow with a shout of protest, although quickly giving up.

"Hey, I gotta go. My parents wanted me home earlier today," I tell Miko, standing up from the wall.

"Seriously?" she asks, raising an eyebrow. "Your parents are never home!"

"Yeah I was surprised to, but I gotta go. Catch you later!" I call out, quickly walking away.

I make it a point not to go near any of the transformed robot vehicles and it seemed like Jack was doing the same thing, only we were heading in different directions. Fine with me, and as long as I don't have to worry about strange killer robots chasing me down I'm satisfied. A rumbling engine has me looking over to see the motorcycle driving down the road in the direction Jack went, and I widen my eyes in alarm.

"Oh don't you dare follow me..." I mutter uneasily, knowing that the Alfa Romeo was still around.

I quicken my pace and turn down the street, headed for a smaller back alleyway that is more out of sight. I think I'm good upon entering the alleyway, but my relief is squashed when a car engine sound behind me from the entrance. I freeze up dreadfully before sighing, turning around and facing the car.

"I promise I didn't tell anyone," I tell her quickly.

"That's not why I'm here right now kid," she replies, rolling forwards a little further into the alley.

"And why exactly are you?" I ask, backing up cautiously a few steps.

"Just to talk. Also the fact that you might be in danger," she says.

"I think I'm in more danger whenever I'm around the robot-fight-club," I comment sarcastically, turning around to walk away. "So I'd imagine that being away from all that is the best place to be."

As I start walking away the sound of shifting machine parts gets my attention, followed by a few heavy stomps on the ground. I look back and falter nervously in my steps to see her robotic form, crouching low on the ground in place of her previous car mode. I don't think she'll hurt me, since she wouldn't have saved me yesterday if she wanted to, but the sight of the big robot is still nerve-racking.

"Look kid... it's Alexandra, right?" she asks.

"How do you know my name?" I demand warily.

"Small town. Plus, it's on your bag," she points out, gesturing towards my backpack with a finger.

I glance at where she was pointing and realize my name is sewed in there; _'Alexandra Daniels'_ written for all to see.

"Oh... right," I admit, a little sheepish.

"Well, Alexandra, the reason I need to talk to you is because you are one of the only people on Earth to have ever seen us, and that puts a target on your back," she says, leaning forwards.

"Puts a target on my back?" I ask in bewilderment, narrowing my eyes. "What do you mean on Earth?"

"Things can be explained later, but for the moment you have to come with me to ensure that you and the others won't be in any further harm," she continues.

"What if I say no?" I challenge.

"Your other friends, Rafael and Jack have already agreed to come," she says, before frowning. "Although Arcee says that some new girl stumbled on her, so she's bringing her to..."

I frown at the mention of another girl before groaning in disbelief, getting the feeling that I know exactly who she means.

"I think that's Miko," I tell her.

"So? Care to meet the members of the 'robot-fight-club?'" she asks with a raised eyebrow... or metal, brow? Optic ridge? Whatever they call it.

I stand there for a few seconds, mulling over my options before sighing in defeat. "Sure. Not like I have much else to do anyways."

* * *

Sitting in the cabin of the car is no longer very nerve-racking now that we aren't being shot at; in fact it was actually a little comfortable. For a giant robot who fights other robots in order to beat them to a pulp, her vehicle form's interior is completely spotless and clean, and the furnishing is all nice. Still, the physical comfort does nothing to ease my wariness at the whole situation, although the sight of the rest of the group in front of us manages to take some of it away.

"Of all the people to stumble across this crap, it had to be Miko," I say with a groan.

"Is that a bad thing?" she asks.

"She's not a bad person exactly, and she is nice," I admit. "The problem is she's completely reckless, annoying, and has no regard for manners or rules."

"Oh Ratchet's gonna have a field-trip with this girl then," she replies with some amusement.

"Who's Ratchet?" I ask her.

"He's our team's medic. Slagging good one at that, not to mention a good friend. Although he can be a bit of a grouch at times," she comments.

"Huh," I reply quietly, not sure what else to say. "Do you have a name?"

"Yup! Elita-One," she answers happily.

Looking out the window I notice our little convoy heading for a large rock mountain up ahead, and raise an eyebrow at the sight of it.

"So uh, where are we going exactly?" I ask her.

"To the base, where else?" Elita says rhetorically.

"Yeah, I get that, but where is the base?" I specify with a roll of my eyes.

"Right in front of us Alexandra," she states.

Before I could further question her about whether or not she was being serious, our convoy drives straight off the road and directly for the mountain side. I widen my eyes in alarm before relaxing as a large door slid open to allow us entry. Driving inside a wide open tunnel, I glance back to see the door quickly closing behind us, acting like the mountainside once again.

Our convoy then slows down as we enter a wide open space, with the ceiling going up at least over a hundred feet. At a large array of green computer screens was another large robot, this one colored white and an orangish-red, who was working at the controls. I'm guessing this is Ratchet based on the medical symbols on his arms, and he turns to look at us from the computer screens. At the other side of the massive chamber came two more lumbering robots, these two much larger than the rest I've seen so far. They were like giants, and one of them even had two massive arm cannons on his arms!

"Wow..." I murmur, admittedly in awe.

We all come to a stop, and as soon as Jack, Miko, Raf and I exit or dismount from our vehicles they transform back into their robot forms.

"I thought there were three," Ratchet comments, standing beside the one with the arm cannons, who is colored black with a little bit of red mixed in.

"Haven't you heard? Human's multiply," Arcee states dryly, walking away in disinterest.

"Geez, what's got her in a mood?" I mutter to myself. I can recognize her bored and annoyed mood fairly well because that's usually how I am these days: bored and annoyed with the world.

"I'm Raf!" Raf says, holding his hand out to Miko as if to greet her.

However she completely ignores him, her gaze eagerly transfixed on the towering robots, and moves over to get closer to them. Raf's expression falls as she moves away, and I give him a gently nudge to the shoulder.

"Don't take it personally Raf. She's like that," I explain with a shrug.

"I'm Miko!" said girl exclaims, looking up at the robots eagerly. "Who're you?!"

"Bulkhead," the green robot answers, a little nervous. Imagine that.

Miko gasps in excitement. "Are you a car? I bet you're a truck, a monster truck! Do you like heavy metal? How much do you weigh? Ever used a wrecking ball for a punching bag?"

Throughout the intense barrage of questions Bulkhead could only stare at her uneasily, unsure of what to say or how to handle such a creture, bundled to the brim with limitless energy. The robot beside him scoffs, crossing his arms in apparent annoyance.

"Hmph. And I thought they couldn't get more annoying," he grumbles.

"Hey!" Miko exclaims, taking some offense.

"Relax Ironhide, they could be much worse," Elita replies in amusement.

"So if you guys are robots, who made you?" Raf asks curiously.

"I'm pointing fingers at a certain rich guy named..." I start to say.

"Alex," Jack interrupts in exasperation.

"What?" I ask innocently.

Ratchet lets out a scoff of disgust, turning his head to the side and grumbling. "Oh, please."

Massive footsteps from behind us get our attention, especially due to how they actually shake the ground, and we look up with wide eyes to see the largest robot yet. He's colored red, blue and silver, and practically makes us look like ants in comparison! I know we aren't in any danger, but the size difference still makes me swallow uneasily.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms, from the planet Cybertron. Also known as Autobots," he answers, his voice deep and full of authority.

"Why are you here?" Jack asks, stepping forwards to take charge.

"To protect your planet, from the Decepticons," he states.

"The jokers who tried to bump us off last night?" Arcee explains rhetorically.

"They've been causing lots of trouble recently, so things aren't looking the greatest right now," Elita adds, moving to stand beside the massive mech.

"Well... why are they here then?" I ask.

The giant mech then kneels down on the ground with one foot, crouching so that he could be at better eye level with us.

"A fair question Alexandra," he says, making me blink in surprise. "In part, they are here because our planet is uninhabitable. Ravaged by centuries of civil war."

"Why were you fighting a war?" Raf asks.

"For most, over control of our world supply of energon. The fuel and life-blood of all Autobots and Decepticons alike," he explains, a seemingly haunted look in his otherwise neutral expression. "The combat was fierce and endured for centuries. In the beginning I fought alongside one who I considered a brother. But in war, ideals can be corrupted. And it was thus, that Megatron lost his way."

Miko lets out a false sigh, looking bored. "Is there going to be a quiz?"

"Miko!" I hiss at her, shoving her shoulder lightly for her rudeness.

She rolls her eyes but keeps quiet, and we focus on the giant mech again.

"So what is Megatron, or any of this have to do with us?" Jack asks.

"Megatron has not been seen or heard from in sometime. But if his return is imminent as I fear, it could be a catastrophic," he replies grimly.

* * *

 ** _The Nemesis; Earth's Orbit_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Soundwave calmly walks up towards Starscream, who stood at the main console in the bridge. On Soundwave's visor was a locator beacon, beeping with a transmission.

"Those transmissions are emanating from deep space," Starscream notes, turning to face him. "I would hate to waste the energon... unless you are absolutely certain?"

Soundwave nods firmly in response, and Starscream lets out an irritated growl, but accepts it nonetheless.

"Then lock on transmission coordinates... and activate the spacebridge!" he orders a Vehicon trooper. The Vehicon does as ordered, swiftly typing on his console and powering the spacebridge.

Outside, the massive spacebridge portal engineered by the Decepticons powers up with massive amounts of energy, forming a swirling and bubbling vortex colored in different hues of green, white and blue. From within the center of the massive portal emerged a Cybertronian jet, flying out at a quick speed. The jet then transformers, clenching his arms together before releasing them in a mighty scream.

"DECEPTICONS!" he roars, a sinister grin appearing on his face. "I have returned!

* * *

 _So here's the first episode! I know I said I would update this story for a while but I've decided to work on it, at least the premier episodes of_

Darkness Rising.

 _I'm only going to update this story once a month for these next five chapters, because the last one contains spoilers for what's to come with my main series the_ Legacy of Jarik Shan. _Hopefully by the time the fifth month comes around I will have gotten through enough of LOJS or even finished it, so that there won't be spoilers. :)_

 _You guys continue to impress with your support!_


	4. Ch 3 - Darkness Rising Pt 2

**_Decepticon Mine; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Starscream stands on a rocky ledge overlooking the energon mine, overseeing the process with a critical gaze. While doing so, he continues to explain the entire operation, hoping to impress Megatron.

"Of the energon deposits we have located while you were away, Lord Megatron, this one is by far the most significant. The drones have been mining without a pause during your absence, and have amassed quite a stockpile," he says with a smirk.

He then glances at one Vehicon and points at him. "You there! Fetch me a sample!"

"Starscream!" Megatron says, and Starscream looks over to watch as he emerges from the darkness. "Now that I have returned, I will issue the commands."

"I understand, Lord Megatron," Starscream replies with a submissive bow. "Then as your humble servant, shall I ready the Space Bridge to bring forth the Decepticon army you have surely gathered during your three years in space?"

"My army will come. But my time away has yielded a more intriguing means of materializing them," Megatron states, holding up a shard of pulsing, purple energon. "The solidified form of the matter the ancient texts referred to as the Blood of Unicron!"

"Unicron the Destroyer," Starscream says quietly in bewilderment, stalking forwards to gaze at it. "But it is said that his blood is the anti-Spark!"

"Plucked from the cosmic shores of Andromeda, gaze upon Dark Energon!" Megatron exclaims, a wicked gleam in his optics.

"Legend tells that it holds the power to... revive the dead," Starscream notes uneasily.

"We require only a cadaver to be certain," Megatron says, glancing at Starscream. "Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?"

"Hehehe, ahem, that may not be necessary," he replies nervously. "If I may, Lord Megatron?"

Starscream gestures towards the lift elevator, where two Vehicon drones exit with a platform carrying the corpse of Cliffjumper.

"Consider it a welcome-home present," he states.

Megatron smirks in approval.

* * *

 ** _Jasper Nevada; Earth_**

 **Alexandra POV...**

"And since you now know of our existence, I fear that as of last night the Decepticons know of yours," Optimus tells us.

"Got it, we spot any strange vehicles, call 911," Jack says.

"Or call up 'Fulcrum the superhero,'" I add sarcastically.

To my surprise, Elita and Bumblebee laugh for a few moments in amusement, grinning down at me.

"Good one," she says, and I shrug in response, a little confused.

"Can we go now?" Jack asks pleadingly, gesturing to the exit.

"Are you insane? I'm living a dream here in Bots-wana!" Miko exclaims, pointing at him with a threatening finger. "And I will not allow you or anyone else to shatter it!"

"It is best that you three remain under our watch," Optimus advises, and I let out a sigh. "At least until we can determine our enemies' intentions."

"I'm sure my parents will be happy with that," I mutter.

"They better not bring in a rodent infestation," Ironhide grunts, fiddling with his cannons.

"Optimus. With all due respect, the human children are in as much danger here as anywhere!" Ratchet interrupts in disapproval.

"Children?!" Jack exclaims incredulously.

"Chill out Jack. We are children," I remind him in exasperation.

"They have no protective shell! If they get underfoot they will go... squish!" Ratchet adds.

He stomps his foot for good measure, causing us to jump a little at the action. Bumblebee seems to be making 'faces' at Ratchet behind his back while Elita just shakes her head, crossing her arms. Optimus puts his hands on his hips with a smile, looking pointedly at Ratchet and gesturing towards us.

"Then for the time being, Ratchet, we must watch where we step," he advises.

"If me and Bumblebee could handle being in a galaxy full of humanoid creatures, then you can certainly handle three human kids Ratchet," Elita remarks.

"It's a lot different when said humans aren't Jedi!" Ratchet retorts, scoffing in annoyance.

"What's a Jedi?" Raf asks.

Before any of the Autobots could answer, an alarm suddenly starts blaring throughout the base while a green light flashes. They all look around while Ratchet walks up to the terminal, and Jack has a look of alarm on his face.

"What's that?" he asks urgently.

Bumblebee turns around and starts to answer, but it falls on deaf ears to me since I can't understand his way of speaking.

"Proximity sensor," Raf translates, much to my surprise. "Someone's on top."

"It's Agent Fowler," Ratchet says, pulling up a video. "And Charlie Watson."

On the security footage he pulled up, we could see a helicopter having landed on the roof, along with two people walking across it. Bumblebee chirps in obvious excitement at the mention of the second person.

"I-I thought we were the only humans who know about you guys," Jack says in confusion.

"Agent Watson was a good friend of Bumblebee when he first landed on Earth, when he was scouting the planet," Optimus explains. "However, Special Agent Fowler is assigned our designated liaison to the outside world, as he tends to visit only when there are issues. It may be best if you do not meet him at this time."

The four of us glance at each other before heading over to the side of the concrete wall beside Elita, Arcee, and Bumblebee. I peek my head out to get a good look at the elevator door, Jack attempting to do so as well.

After a few moments I hear a dinging sound, and the elevator opens up to reveal two people. One of them is an African-American government official, wearing a gray suit jacket over his white shirt and loose tie. He certainly looks to be in his fifties at least. Alongside him is a woman in probably her late thirties, early forties, with a much different looking outfit. She's dressed professionally, but in a more sporty type of style, with black pants and a thin black leather jacket. On her right shoulder is some sort of logo, looking like of some type of eagle.

"Seven wrecks, thirty four fender benders, a three hour traffic jam, and on a particular note, numerous reports of a speeding motorcycle of unknown make, a black-and-yellow custom muscle car, and a pink colored Alfa Romeo 4C car!" Agent Fowler starts off, not sounding pleased at all.

Both he and Agent Watson approach the railing as he talks, although she stands a little bit behind him with her arms crossed, a composed smile on her face. Elita, Bumblebee and Arcee all glance at each other as Fowler lists off their physical descriptions. I also glance at the other three, and Jack looks a little alarmed, pulling back to stay hidden. I shrug, but continue watching curiously.

"So, anything you care to get off your tin chest, Prime?" Fowler demands.

"We have the situation under control, agent Fowler," Optimus states calmly.

"They're back, aren't they?" Agent Watson asks, looking concerned. "The Decepticons?"

"Unfortunately Charlie, I have doubts that they ever left," he replies grimly. "Your planet is much too valuable."

"Then it's time to wake up the Pentagon!" Fowler declares.

"Hear me, agent Fowler. We are your best, possibly your only defense against the Decepticon threat," he replies.

"Says you," Fowler retorts.

"Hey, fleshy! Did anyone get splattered on that freeway?" Bulkhead calls out. He breaks off a strange tool and then crushes it with his fist. "Team Prime knows when to use force, and how much to use!"

"Big mistake Bulk," Ironhide remarks in amusement.

"Bulkhead! I needed that!" Ratchet exclaims angrily.

"Enough! Military involvement will only result in catastrophe," Optimus interrupts. "Perhaps you can condone widespread human casualties, Agent Fowler. I however, cannot."

"Will, you should trust them on this one. They will do everything in their power to stop the Decepticons without harming the human population," Agent Watson advises him.

Fowler glances at her with a frown, and then sighs in reluctant agreement. "Fine. But you better do us both a favor and handle this, Prime! Under the radar."

Agent Fowler heads back over to the elevator lift, and turns around with a serious look on his face. "Or I will."

Optimus nods in understanding, and Agent Watson heads over to Fowler as well, pausing momentarily to smile at the Autobots.

"It was good seeing you again, if only briefly," she says with a smile.

Bumblebee beeps back at her happily and offers a wave, before the elevator door closes, taking the two back up to the surface.

"Pretty big bearings for a human," Bulkhead says, unimpressed.

"At least Charlie isn't so bad," Ironhide remarks.

"Agent Fowler is merely concerned for his world you two, as he should be," Optimus tells them.

With the government agents now gone, we come back out of our cover and start heading back over to the center.

"Hey, how about coming up here?" Elita suggests, pointing towards the walkways of the base. "It'll be better to talk this way."

"Alright, I'm down for it," I say casually in agreement.

"Are you saying we're too small?" Miko demands.

Everyone in the room turns too look at her in completely bafflement, even Optimus appearing bewildered. She quickly realizes the stupidity of her question and laughs sheepishly in response.

"I... wasn't really thinking was I?" she offers meekly.

Ratchet scoffs in response, turning to mess with his computer terminal. The four of us walk up the stairs and then head over to the balcony near the computer terminals, where most of the Autobots were standing by.

"So what's the story with that lady agent?! I wanna hear the details!" Miko asks eagerly.

Bumblebe's optics instantly light up in excitement, and he starts the ramble off eagerly about Charlie. I notice Miko appearing bored and bummed out by Bumblebee talking, and elbow her in the gut before she can give a rude response.

"Don't you even dare," I warn her quietly.

"Whoa there youngling, maybe it's best if someone else explains it so they can understand," Elita suggests, giving Bumblebee a sympathetic look. He beeps sadly but nods, most likely in agreement.

"I can understand him," Raf says.

"Yeah, well the rest of us aren't techie nerds!" Miko retorts, and I roll my eyes in exasperation.

"How are you able to understand him?" I ask him.

"I don't know, I just... can," he replies with a shrug.

"Whatever. So what's Charlie's story?!" Miko asks eagerly.

"When we evacuated Cybertron, Bumblebee was sent by Optimus to scout Earth and to protect it," Ironhide starts to explain. "A Decepticon named Blitzwing tracked him here, but I gotta say he did good in off-lining the fragger by blowing him up into multiple pieces."

Ironhide gives Bumblebee a pat on the shoulder, causing him to stumble briefly, appearing quite sheepish as he beeps back a meek reply.

"That's what I'm talking about Bee," Bulkhead adds with a grin.

"Cool," Miko whispers in awe.

"The battle did damage him though, so he was forced into temporary stasis in his vehicle mode," Elita picks up. "Charlie Watson then found him at a junkyard, and inadvertently brought him back online. They bonded as friends, and through a series of events eventually stopped two Decepticons from transmitting the location of the planet for their army."

"A lot of good it did us now," Arcee mutters glumly.

"I guess that's pretty cool," I remark, referring to the story.

"You guess?!" Miko asks incredulously.

ooo00ooo

 **Elita One POV...**

I could see Alexandra about offer a retort in Miko's direction, something which would've amused me, when the computer terminal suddenly came to life with urgent beeps. Ratchet looks over and scoffs in irritation.

"Blasted Earth tech! Cliffjumper's signal popped back online!" he reports.

"What?" I ask in surprise.

"Who's Cliffjumper?" Miko asks.

"How is that possible?" Optimus asks, walking forwards.

"It isn't. Another bug! The system is chock-full of them!" Ratchet states.

"I wouldn't be so sure Ratchet," I reply doubtfully, looking at the screen.

"If there's any chance Cliff's alive..." Arcee trails off hopefully.

"We'll find him," I reassure her.

"Ratchet, prepare sickbay. We may need it," Optimus states, sliding his battle-mask on.

"Hey!" Miko exclaims suddenly. "What can we do?"

"Remain with Ratchet," he orders.

"Awww!" she complains.

"Agh..." Ratchet grumbles.

"She's worse than Mara..." I mutter to Bee.

"Don't worry Ratch, you don't have to worry about being bored," Ironhide teases.

"Wait till I get a wrench on you Ironhide," he threatens dangerously.

Ironhide just chuckles, readying his cannons in anticipation. All of us except for Ratchet and the humans approach the ground bridge, which Ratchet swiftly activates with a flourish of green, white and blue energy. I stand beside Optimus, giving him a nod and waiting for the signal.

"Autobots, roll out!" he orders.

With the call being said, we all transform into our vehicle forms and speed down into the ground bridge. Upon coming out on the other side we transform again and whip out our weapons in anticipation. I stand beside Optimus with my blaster pointed down the tunnel, and Arcee crouches in front of us with her blasters raised. Bumblebee, Ironhide and Bulkhead all stand on our sides with their weapons charging, Ironhide's cannons spinning in anticipation. When no imminent threat faces us in the area, we carefully lower out guard.

"Energon mine!" Bulkhead says.

"Judging by it's scale, the Decepticons have been tunneling here for quite some time," Optimus observes.

"Much larger than most deposits for sure," Ironhide comments in agreement.

We march through the tunnel cautiously, and at a bend in the corner Bulkhead waves us forwards. We crouch behind some boulders and observe Vehicon drones mining and drilling the energon crystals, still hard at work. I let out a low whistle at all of the energon covering the cave walls.

"Kinda looks like a larger scale version of the crystal caves on Ahch-To," I say quietly.

Everyone glances at me for a moment.

"You're almost as bad as Cliffjumper when it comes to Jarik Shan references," Ironhide grumbles.

I shrug in response. "He leaves an impression. If you ever meet him, you'll get what I mean."

Bumblebee beeps in agreement.

"Can we chat later?" Arcee whispers irritably, and I glance at her apologetically.

I feel a sense of determination come over Optimus before he stands up. "Let's find Cliffjumper!"

He marches forwards out into the open, and the rest of us follow his lead, marching along calmly. It takes a few moments before the Vehicons notice us, and they instantly aim their weapons. We aim ours back at them, and the 'Cons open fire. One of the drillers takes his drill and then charges right for us. I move out of the way so that Ironhide can blast the drill sky-high with a rocket from one of his cannons.

Dashing forwards, I fire several shots at a few Vehicons and take out a couple of them. Getting into melee distance, I duck underneath a swipe from one and whirl around to kick him away. I skid to the side as another comes charging at me, and blast his unprotected back. Arcee takes a similar approach as me and gets up close and personal, kicking and firing away at the Decepticons, even using her pedes to yank one 'Cons head off.

I transform back into my vehicle mode and charge forwards, ramming into the legs of one con and then jumping into the air. Returning to bipedal mode, I flip over another 'Con and then slice his helm apart with one of my arm blades, landing on my feet. Ironhide rolls forwards beside me and fires off another few rounds of energon blasts and rockets at a large group of Decepticons in front of us, and I join in with the firing barrage. Nearby, Optimus picks up a charging driller and easily hefts it up, blasting it away before running forwards.

I follow after him, slicing my arm blades at a passing Decepticon along the way.

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

Since the Autobots left things have been pretty calm lately, and so we've mostly been trying to find a way to entertain ourselves. Miko was doing this by analyzing a piece of equipment attached to the concrete wall, and reaches out to touch it.

"What is this anyway?" she asks.

"Broken, don't touch it," Ratchet says, walking over to the terminal. Miko reaches out to touch it again- "Don't touch that either."

"If it's broken, then why does it matter?" I ask in exasperation, leaning against the railing near Raf.

"So, anything here we can touch?" Jack adds sarcastically.

"How come you guys are using human computers?" Raf observes curiously, watching as one of the terminals pops up with a familiar error message.

"It certainly isn't by choice! It was handed down from previous tenants when we inherited this former missile silo," Ratchet explains. "I make modifications as I see fit."

Ratchet attempts to fix the problem, but all of the terminals then switch to about a dozen pop-up error messages, and Ratchet groans in annoyance. I stiffle a giggle at his response, finding him to be so much like my dad when it comes to tech. I glance at Raf and give him a nudge.

"Work your magic dude," I suggest.

He grins happily and pulls out his laptop, heading over to the human sized computers. "I think I can fix that."

"Reeally?!" Ratchet asks doubtfully. "You know this is complex technology, don't you? I mean it isn't a child's toy!"

"Hey, lay off of him Ratchet, he'll have this fixed no problem," I retort with a frown in his direction.

After a few more moments, Raf looks up with a smile. "Now try!"

Ratchet raises a metal ridge doubtfully but sighs, facing the terminal again. He presses a button, and within a moment all of the error messages go away with a green checkmark, bringing back the original displays of the green monitors. Ratchet straightens in surprise and whips around to face us, almost appearing to be shocked. I grin at him smugly in response, while Raf just smiles happily.

* * *

 **Elita One POV...**

Bulkhead smashes the last drill, and sends the miner flying, allowing Optimus to shoot him out of the air. Deactivating our weapons, we all stomp our way forwards through the cave, fierce determination evident over our faceplates. In front of us, a whole squad of Decepticons and miners march towards us with weapons unloaded, several drills with them. Getting a running start, Optimus then transforms into his truck mode.

"Maximum overdrive!" he orders.

We all follow suit, and transform down into our vehicle modes. Being the biggest and toughest vehicles, Optimus and Ironhide take charge in smashing through the cons, followed by Bulkhead. Arcee, Bumblebee and I hang closer towards the back, occasionally smashing into a Decepticon miner, while Arcee just avoids them all entirely. The Decepticons try to fire at us, but we keep evading their shots with ease. Optimus and Ironhide make short work of disabling the large drills, allowing the rest of us to clean up the mess by smashing into any leftover Vehicons.

It doesn't take us very long to defeat al of the Decepticons, and we continue onwards towards the very center of the massive cave. Transforming back to bipedal mode, we take cover behind large storage crates and gaze around at the massive energon mine. Bulkhead lets out a low whistle at the sight.

"Quite an operation," he remarks.

Unfortunately his comment drew the attention of the Vehicons, who immediately opened fire on us. We brought out our weapons and fired back at them, while Ironhide growls at Bulkhead.

"Now you've done it Bulkhead!" he snaps.

"You sound almost mad at the thought of getting an early start in the fight!" Bulkhead replies in amusement, firing down another con.

"I'll send you to an early trip in the pit!" he retorts.

"Will you boys just shut your faceplates already?" I ask in exasperation, although a little amused.

After a few moments of firing, Arcee spots something on one of the upper levels. "It's Cliff! I have a visual!"

"We'll cover you! Go!" Optimus orders.

"I'll give you some support Arcee!" I add, and we both transform into our vehicle modes.

Following Arcee's lead, we race up the main ramp at high speeds, avoiding the laser blasts of the Decepticons above us. Launching into the air, we both transform and grab onto a metal bar, hoisting ourselves up. I then swing around to launch myself further up, grabbing onto more bars and climbing up the sides while Arcee follows a similiar route. Once she flips herself over to the balcony, I jump off of the metal bar and land on it with a roll just as Arcee pulls herself up. Glancing over, I widen my optics in complete horror at the sight, while Arcee gasps in shock.

Cliffjumper was just reduced to part of his torso, head, and one arm, and some strange purple energon was just leaking all over him... coming from him.

"What the scrap did they do to him?!" I whisper in disbelief.

Red laser fire from the Decepticons suddenly increases intensely as they spot us, causing the balcony to crack and crumble.

 _"Optimus, they're shooting out the balcony!"_ I tell him urgently.

 _"Understood,"_ he replies.

Optimus and the rest of the team begin focusing their fire on the Decepticons that we're shooting at us, but the slab that Cliffjumper was lying on begins to crumble away as it's broken off.

"Cliff! No!" Arcee exclaims in a panic, rushing forwards.

She manages to catch him by the arm, and struggles to life him up. Thankfully the barrage of fire at us has lessened, the others having shot down the Vehicons.

"Let's get you home, partner!" Arcee tells Cliffjumper.

However, the thing that looks back up at us... is not Cliffjumper. What meets out gaze as his head turns to look at us is a snarling, rabid beast, growling at us with ravenous hunger. Arcee and I gasp in shock, and Cliffjumper begins to thrash in Arcee's grip, grabbing onto her arm violently. In a moment of panic I reach forwards and yank her back, but the monster in Cliffjumper's body falls down to the ground with a roar. Arcee attempts to reach down after him in horror, but he was too far away now.

"No!" I cry out.

Optimus rushes forwards with an arm raised out in the same horror, knowing however that to save him now is futile. He clangs against the balcony before crashing into the bottom of the cave harshly, laying unmoving. A sickening laugh suddenly echoes around the cavern, and I look around with narrowed optics to see Starscream leering down on us from above.

"Prime!" he exclaims with a sneer. "I'd stick around but, I'm squeamish."

He raises an arm and then drops whatever he's carrying down into a large pile of energon crystals. He then jumps after it and then transforms into his jet mode, blasting off through the elevator tube and out of sight. Getting a better look at what hit the pile of energon, I widen my optics in alarm.

"Optimus!" I call out warningly.

"The joint's gonna blow!" Bulkhead says in realization.

"Autobots, roll out!" Optimus orders.

"I'm sorry Arcee, but we have to go," I tell her urgently.

"Right," she whispers, shaking her head.

The two of us then leap down to the bottom of the cave. Once Optimus sees us following after them in our vehicle forms, he transforms himself and then speeds off. The entire cavern then shakes as the bomb detonates, blowing up all of the energon in a massive explosion. A quick glance behind me shows a massive wall of blue energon flames exploding out towards us.

"Ratchet! Bridge us back! Use the arrival coordinates, now!" Optimus exclaims.

Not a moment to soon, the ground bridge opens up, and we immediately head straight through towards it. Optimus is the last to follow, the plume of fire still chasing us down through the bridge. Upon entering the base we transform back into our bipedal modes, and I slide across the floor on my pedes for a moment before righting myself. We watch as Optimus flips up in his transformation, sliding across the ground as the bridge closes, cutting off the path of the explosion.

"Woah..." the kids whisper in awe.

They haven't seen anything yet.

"Cutting it a bit close. How about Cliffjumper?" Ratchet asks.

We all look down sadly, and I stare at Arcee in concern and worry, knowing how tough this must be for her.

"What was that explosion? Was there a fight? Can we come with next time?" Miko suddenly asks excitedly, ignoring the sense of loss we felt.

"Miko!" Alexandra hisses angrily.

Gotta admit, I see now why she find Miko to be annoying, since that was pretty insensitive. Arcee then strides forwards with a seething glare, and I widen my optics in alarm.

"Look-" she starts furiously.

"Arcee, Arcee, calm down," I advise in concern, holding her back to diffuse the situation. Luckily, Jack steps in to help.

"He-hey, Miko, let's go see what the bots hiding in their sock drawers," he suggests, leading her away.

"Seriously?" she asks dryly, but follows him.

"Arcee, Elita, what did you see?" Optimus asks us.

Arcee crosses her arms and appears to shrink in on herself, while I look down at her sympathetically, staying close to her for support.

"Not Cliff. At least, not any more. He was mutated... butchered," she says, voice breaking a little. "Like something from those 'Con experiments during the war."

She suddenly collapses against one of the crates with a groan, and I kneel by her in concern.

"Arcee?" I ask.

"No. I'm fine! Just dizzy," she protests weakly, waving an arm.

"Robots who get dizzy?" Miko asks quietly.

"Robots with emotions!" Raf states.

"Robots... who can die," Jack says quietly.

"They have souls..." I hear Alexandra whisper to herself.

While it seems a little touching, I don't pay attention to them at the moment, my focus more on Arcee and making sure she's ok. I help her to sit down on the crate while Ratchet moves forwards with a scanner, moving it up and down.

"How's she looking Ratchet?" I ask him.

"I'm not sure..." he trails off before faltering, his scanner turning red on something. "What is this?"

Arcee lifts up her arm, and I widen my optics in concern upon noticing the strange purple goo steaming on her hand. I'm not sure why... but a faint memory suddenly pops into my head, and I close my optics with a frown. It was back some time ago, not long after I had woken up...

 _~Flashback~_

 _"Elita... I have to ask you a question about something," Jarik said, approaching me._

 _"Sure, what is it?" I asked him._

 _It's currently night time on Ahch-To right now, as the twin suns had set only minutes ago. The ocean breeze blew past us, and caused his Jedi robes to flutter a little bit in the night air._

 _"Do you know of any Cybertronians with devilish horns and purple eyes?" he asked me._

 _I frowned in confusion. "Could you be more specific?"_

 _"Perhaps with broken angel wings on their back? Looking like the face of evil?" he added._

 _"I don't know... but the description kind of sounds a little familiar," I replied. "Why do you ask?"_

 _"No reason, just curious," he said in response. "Well, good night."_

 _As he walked away, I frowned at his retreating form in confusion, also a little concerned. There's only one being I could think of that the description would fit, but it is very unlikely that is possible. How he would know what he looks like is beyond me, but I figured it had to be a vision of some sort, which Jedi are known to have. A vision of this demonic looking Cybertronian being, which is unsettling to me._

 _Because that being is called Unicron._

 _~Flashback Ends~_

I pull myself out of the random memory as Arcee answers Ratchet. "Don't know. Cliff was covered in it. Leaking it."

Ratchet pulls out a surgical knife and carefully swipes the goo off of her hand, holding it up with a concerned frown.

"Go take a decontamination bath. Now!" he orders.

I help Arcee to get up from the crate, and then pass her over to Bumblebee, who helps lead her over to the decontamination bath area. I watch her go in concern before pulling my attention over to the humans as Jack speaks up.

"O-Optimus. I-I hate to bug, but, no bars," he says, holding up a device. I think it's a phone.

"A security precaution. The silo walls isolate all radiowaves," Optimus explains as I stand beside him.

"To help keep the 'Cons from finding us," I explain.

"Well, if I don't call my mom like now I'm pretty sure cops will be out looking for me," he says urgently.

"Yeah, she would freak out," Alexandra mutters in amusement.

Optimus suddenly leans down with a critical gaze on Jack, and upon feeling what he's thinking I cover my mouth to stifle my laughter. I guess Optimus still needs more understanding of how human family units work.

"Have you broken a law?" he asks seriously.

"In his mom's eyes he has," Alexandra says with a snicker, causing me to smile in amusement.

Jack growls irritably at her before sighing in exasperation, facing Optimus. "A curfew? It's after 10pm."

"I better get home too, or I'll be grounded for a year!" Raf adds uneasily.

"Earth customs. I hadn't considered," Optimus realizes with a frown. "But the issue of your safety remains."

"Oh this'll be good," Alexandra remarks.

"Bulkhead! Accompany Miko home," Optimus says.

"Awesome! My host parents will freak!" Miko exclaims eagerly.

"And maintain covert surveillance in vehicle form," he adds.

"Curbside duty, got it," Bulkhead says in understanding.

The two of them both look at Miko knowingly, much to my amusement, and she lets out a groan of disappointment. Thankfully Optimus catches on to things like this pretty quick.

"Bumblebee! You'll watch over Raf," Optimus says, and Bumblebee looks over at Raf, who smiles.

"Ratchet!" Optimus calls out.

"Busy!" he immediately says, shooting him down. Arcee then walks out of the bath, looking over.

"Arcee. You'll accompany Jack," Optimus says.

Jack rubs his head, and I smile at Arcee as she tries to play off an excuse. "Ooh, still dizzy."

"You're fine! Says your physician," Ratchet states.

"Ironhide-" Optimus starts.

"Not happening Prime," he interrupts firmly. "No offense to the girl but I'm not hanging around human living settlements anymore."

"Why? Is the great war veteran scared of the small human?" I tease him with a smirk.

"I take some offense," Alexandra pipes up.

"No!" he retorts with a glare. "I just do not want to have another rodent lubricating on my foot!"

"What happened now?" Miko asks curiously.

Bulkhead, Bumblebee and I all snicker in amusement at the memory, knowing how angry he was at the time.

"Elita, would you be alright with accompanying Alexandra?" Optimus asks me.

"Of course not," I state with a smile, looking over at said human girl. She offers a sheepish wave in response, admittedly looking a little uncomfortable.

"Uh, not to be the devil's advocate, but how exactly am I supposed to explain my 'new ride' to my parents?" Alexandra asks.

I grin down at her. "We'll think of something kid."

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

While I'm in the passenger seat of Elita's vehicle mode on the way back home, I'm trying to think of an excuse for my parents as to why I now 'own' a rather fancy car. Especially fancy when it comes to Jasper Nevada. Now my parents aren't nearly as strict as others, and they're jobs take up most of their time in the day, but they'd still ask. I let out a tired sigh, slumping in my seat.

"What's wrong Alexandra?" Elita asks.

"Just trying to figure out an excuse for where you came from," I reply.

"It's not as simple as 'buying' a car?" she asks.

"Buying a car isn't as simple as it seems," I explain tiredly. "It costs more money than what I have, and you have to go through registration of a vehicle, and a whole other bunch of legal crap."

"So without your parents you can't do it," she says hesitantly.

"Well, I could," I admit. "But I just can't really do it in my situation."

"I suppose that is a problem," she says in agreement, turning into the neighborhood.

I nod my head in agreement, and try to think of an idea for how to explain it to my parents.

"Will your parents be fine with you having a car?" she asks.

"I don't know," I shrug dismissively. "Probably not, or they wouldn't really care."

"Wouldn't care?" she asks in concern.

"Not really, they spend more time at their jobs than at home," I reply bitterly.

"That doesn't sound good..." she starts to say.

"I'm not interested in talking about it right now," I state, crossing my arms and looking out the window.

Elita remains silent as she drives up to my house, and I don't offer to start up a discussion either. I can tell she seems concerned, but the more important matter I have right now is figuring out an excuse for having her.

Pulling up into the driveway, Elita clips off the seatbelt and opens the door for me, and I mutter my thanks. Getting out, I close the door and approach the garage with he intent of opening it. However before I can, the door already opens to reveal my parents both standing there.

I freeze up in surprise upon seeing them standing there, with crossed arms and frowns on their faces.

"Where've you been Alex?" Mom asks me.

"I-I was out eating dinner with some friends," I answer quickly.

"Really? And you're getting back from dinner at 10:20 in the night?" Dad asks doubtfully.

"...yes?" I offer meekly.

"Alex, you shouldn't be out this late, at least without telling us. We were worried sick!" Mom says in exasperation.

"You guys get home late from work all the time, how is this any different?" I retort.

Mom let's out a frustrated sigh, and Dad glances behind me in Elita's direction with a troubled frown.

"You know we don't have much choice in working late nights," she argues.

"We can talk about that later," Dad says with a sigh. "More important is why you came home with a car."

The three of us glance at Elita's vehicle form for a moment, and I look back to Mom's incredulous face and Dad's demanding expression.

"You bought a car?!" she exclaims.

"Well I- uh, not-not exactly," I stammer out, grimacing at my response.

"Then why are you driving home with it?" Dad questions. "Where did you get it from?"

"I- I mean I got it from..." I trail off nervously, glancing at Elita before turning back to face them. "I-It's actually from a club I just joined!"

"A club?" Dad asks.

"What club?" Mom adds demandingly.

"It's, uhhh... a car mechanics club!" I stammer out, quickly nodding my head. "It's new this semester. You know how I sometimes like to tinker with vehicles, right?"

"I suppose..." Dad says thoughtfully, though still suspicious.

"Seems pretty expensive for the school to just loan you a car of that quality," Mom says suspiciously.

"Well, it's actually not nearly as good as it works, the outside is the only bit that really looks good," I offer as an excuse.

A small car piece from underneath Elita suddenly falls off of her at that moment, getting our attention. Whether that was an accident, or Elita was being a genius and did it on purpose, I just went with it. I gesture at the broken piece with a nervous grin.

"See? It's not in good quality right now," I tell them.

"What's the purpose of this, 'club' then?" Dad asks me.

"Mainly just to help us gain more experience with car mechanics, sort of a life skill really," I explain more confidently, the idea now fully coming to mind. "They give us a car, and they let us drive it and also tinker with it. The class time is after school, and it never really has a definite time period."

Mom and Dad both look at each other for a few moments, considering, and then look back at me, much more calm now.

"Alright," Dad says. "I'm still a little doubtful of this idea, but if it's helping you with skills like that, then it's fine with me."

"Make sure you let us know when you're gone though," Mom reminds me seriously. "And it better not become a problem. I'll want to know more about this 'club' of yours."

"Sure thing Mom!" I agree quickly with a nod. "Good night!"

"Good night," she replies.

She and Dad both head back into the house, although Dad gives me and the car one last furrowed glance before moving inside. Once they're gone I let out a sigh of relief, rushing over to Elita. Whatever she had drop is already fixed now, so I don't have to worry about that.

"Thank you for that," I say gratefully.

"No problem Alexandra," she replies.

"Just call me Alex," I tell her.

"Ok," she says. "Your parents seem nice."

"They are," I admit, becoming a little glum. "But that's not really the issue..."

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asks me.

"No," I reply instantly. "Well, I better head inside before my parents freak out again. There's no room in the garage so you'll just have to wait in the driveway."

"That's fine. Sleep well Alex," she tells me.

I give her a small wave before heading inside, glancing at her occasionally on the way in.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis; Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Megatron spent much of his time in the room holding the massive chunk of Dark Energon, gazing at it in gleeful awe. Entering the room, Starscream grimaces in annoyance at the sight before stalking forwards.

"I don't think you need to worry about further Autobot interference, Master. Not with Optimus gone," he says with a smirk.

"And what evidence do you possess of this fact?" Megatron questions doubtfully.

"I destroyed the mines, as you instructed," he explains with a hint of annoyance.

"Optimus is not so easily destroyed. Neither is Elita One. We have millennia worth of battles behind us, and her surviving Onslaught's ambush to prove it!" Megatron growls irritably at him. "And even if he was, he is not the only threat on this world!"

"Who, the one that the human's call Fulcrum?" Starscream scoffs. "What threat could a human possibly pose?"

" _Fulcrum_ , is actually Jarik Shan. A Jedi from the Andromeda galaxy," Megatron states. "And he is a powerful warrior. You would do well not to underestimate him."

Starscream scoffs again doubtfully, feeling a sense of disgust at the idea of a human, even a human Jedi, as no matter how spectacular they may be, the species is still weak. He'd like nothing more than to see all humans and organic creatures in the universe wiped from existence.

"Maybe you should take a break, my Lord," Starscream suggests in response after a few moments, feeling Megatron is overestimating things. "I worry that too much contact with the dark energon might allow it's properties to adversely affect you."

Megatron thinks for a moment before wicked gleam shoots through his optics. "Or perhaps, Starscream, I have not permitted myself contact enough!"

He reaches out and grasps a shard of the dark energon, causing Starscream to widen his optics in alarm.

"Wait! Lord Megatron! No!" he cries out in a panic. "Not your Spark chamber! You do not know what it will do!"

Megatron ignores his pleas however, and slowly raises the shard before plunging it straight into his spark chamber. He starts to spasm and growl as the Blood of Unicron flushes into his veins, causing his eyes and body to glow a sickening purple.

* * *

 ** _Autobot Outpost Omega One; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Looking through his scope, Ratchet frowns at the sight of the strange goo Then was sitting on one of his thin examination glass panels.

"Hmm. The base elements of this goo are like nothing I've ever encountered. Must be extremely concentrated to have affected Arcee so rapidly," he theorizes.

Picking the glass up, he heads over to another area of the base in order to analyze it with some other tools, grumbling at the broken tool nearby.

"Unfortunately, complete results are slow coming without the use of proper diagnostic tools! Thank you very much, Bulkhead!" he rants angrily.

While he walks off, he doesn't notice a small drop of the liquid fall off of the glass and plop onto the broken tool. The liquid sizzles before sinking into the tool, disappearing from sight.

The broken tool then begins to warp and change as the liquid brings it to life, transforming it into a much more deadly creature. It looks around and starts scuttling across the floor hungrily, searching for a victim.

* * *

 _There's chapter two of the story! Next chapter comes in March!_

 _Some fun things have been included in this chapter, including Charlie Watson to be a government agent! I really enjoyed her character, as unlike most female movie characters in recent years, she actually is enjoyable and is not some sort of "political message" or Mary Sue! And thanks to China movie-goers, Bumblebee has hit the box office so a reboot of more movies are now certain! :D_

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Your support is really amazing! :D_


	5. Ch 4 - Darkness Rising Pt 3

**_Jasper, Nevada; Earth_**

 **Alexandra POV...**

"See you later!" I call out to my parents.

I close the front door with a relieved sigh, and then walk over to the driveway where Elita is parked. I glance around briefly before opening the door, climbing inside and sitting down.

"Good morning Alex," she greets.

"Hey," I reply, closing the door.

"Are your parents fine with you being gone for a while?" she asks me.

"I told them that I was gonna be with some friends in the 'mechanics club,'" I tell her. "Why're you asking?"

"Just curious. I'm not keen on accidentally causing trouble," she replies.

Elita begins pulling out of the driveway, and I reach to pull on the seat belt. As I attempt to do so, the seat belt slides over me and then clicks into place on its own. I raise an eyebrow, momentarily surprised before shrugging it off.

"I don't see why you'd need to worry, you can't get exactly get in trouble with my parents," I point out.

"I know. But you would," she replies.

"Why does it matter?" I ask, frowning at the steering wheel.

"Is it wrong for me to worry about you being in trouble with your parents?" she asks rhetorically in response. I attempt to formulate a response before falling flat, sighing.

"No, it's not wrong... I just figured you have more important things to worry about than a random teenage girl," I say, making a dull, sarcastic face. "Who is one of the humans making things difficult for you guys."

"Trust me, making sure you're safe is not 'getting-in-your-way,' as humans might say," she reassures me.

I take in her words before just going with it. I suppose there's not reason for me to prevent her from thinking like that, especially if she's completely fine with it as well. As Elita drives through the tiny 'downtown' of Jasper, I pull out my phone and ear buds, and start listening to music, playing a game to pass the time.

Unlike the other three, I actually have an iPhone like most kids at school. Which to be honest, is kinda weird since Jack at least should be able to have one. His mother is a nurse, so she should be able to pay for it... unless nurses don't get paid as much as I thought? Whatever. Then again his mom does have very strict rules. Miko is an exchange student, so she likely wouldn't get one here. And don't even get me started on Raf's parents, it was probably hard enough for him to get himself a laptop.

"Hey, Alex," Elita says.

"What?" I ask, pulling out my ear buds.

"Some weird guy is staring at us," she replies.

I frown in confusion, before looking over out the window. We were stopped at an intersection, and right beside us was a familiar looking car. I widen my eyes before groaning in annoyance, sinking into my seat. It was Vince, the worst guy to ever exist in Jasper.

"Oh great, it's Vince," I grumble.

"Who's Vince?" Elita asks.

"The school jock, and literally the worst guy to exist in Jasper," I explain, giving him a side-glare. "He's such a brat, and he always tries to mess with me or Jack. Usually Jack."

From his car, Vince gives me a smirk, sending me a few gestures that clearly imply he thinks I'm utter trash. I make a face back at him and face forwards with crossed arms, an irritated expression on my face.

"How childish," she comments, sounding exasperated. Most likely she see's what he's doing.

"Ugh. Tell me about it," I sigh in agreement.

Vince then rolls down his window, and gestures for me to do the same. Rolling my eyes, I get Elita to do so and look at him exasperatedly.

"What do you want?" I ask him.

"Nothing, just wanted to let you know that your car has a really nice shade of pink! Makes it look like a Barbie toy! Really suits you," he jeers mockingly.

"At least I don't look like a Syndrome wannabe!" I retort, facing forwards again.

"Wh- what did you just say?" Vince demands.

"Eat my dust punk!" I add.

The light turns green, and Elita speeds away fairly quickly, most likely peeved at 'Barbie toy' comment. While doing so I decide to anger Vince even further by flipping him the bird as we drive off, also leaving a dust cloud in his wake. Elita rolls the window back up, and I let out another sigh, slumping against the seat tiredly.

"You're right, he is a punk," she remarks.

"Mocking my color scheme," she grumbles. "I already got enough comments about it in other places."

I raise an eyebrow at the steering wheel but decide not to comment, putting in my ear buds again. I resume playing my music soundtrack, which is currently on the song Viva la Vida, one of the greatest songs known to mankind. Humming to myself, I lean my head against the headrest and look out the window as we keep driving out of Jasper and towards the base. The landscape changes from small buildings to desert and emptiness really fast, with nothing around except the rock formations and blue sky.

"Hey, Alex," Elita says.

I let out another sigh and pull my ear buds out. "What now?"

"You interested in some hardcore fast speed?" she asks.

"Not really," I reply.

"Well too bad, because I'm doing it!" she states.

"Wait, what?" I ask in bewilderment, a little alarmed.

As if she were equipped with rocket boosters or something, Elita suddenly speeds up within seconds, reaching incredible speed. The sudden force pushes me back into the seat, and I grip the armrests with wide eyes as she shoots down the flat rode at over a 160 mph. She goes off road for a little bit, also swerving around small boulders and other obstacles, causing me to shake in my seat and hold on for dear life.

"Oh my gosh, are you insane?" I exclaim incredulously.

"What?" she asks innocently. "You're not a fan?"

"No!" I shoot back.

"Alright," she comments, almost sounding disappointed.

She then slows down back to regular speed almost instantly, and the force from that sends me flying forwards. Luckily the seatbelt catches me, and then reigns me back in flush against the seat to keep me from hitting anything. Elita then directs us back onto the road, and we continue on our way while I breathe heavily, stunned.

"All better?" she asks.

"You could've given me whiplash with that!" I exclaim angrily.

"No I wouldn't," she replies calmly. "There's no chance of bodily harm on the road when inside my cabin."

"You're crazy," I scoff, glaring out of the window.

"No, you just need some excitement," she replies, making me furrow a brow.

"Uh, what" I ask her, confused.

"You seem like someone who's bored with the world. You gotta lighten up, feel some excitement!" she insists. "Besides, I'm pretty sure you enjoy working with vehicles. Are you going to sit here and tell you didn't find some thrill in that?"

I think about it, glancing away hesitantly upon realizing she was right. "...maybe a little bit."

"Like I thought," she replies, staying silent for a few moments. "I'm doing it again."

"Oh gosh..." I groan quietly, mentally preparing myself.

For the supposed second-in-command for the Autobots she seems kind of childish.

* * *

 ** _Autobot Outpost Omega One_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Ratchet walks around the base towards his lab station, carrying the sample of purple goo he procured from Arcee. He allows himself a relief sigh, glad with his current predicament of being without much notice.

"Thank goodness for peace and quiet," he remarks. "Houseguests can be such a bother!"

He places the sample beneath his microscope and takes a look, analyzing it with narrowed optics. As he does so however, he hears a clattering voice from nearby, and looks up at the sound.

"Hm? Optimus?" he asks.

After hearing nothing, he sighs in exasperation and goes to look back down. Then he hears more clattering, this time much louder and getting closer. He grumbles to himself and turns in its direction.

"Ironhide I swear if-" he starts, before gasping in alarm as he spots something else. "By the Allspark!"

A demonic looking little crab bot, very reminiscent of the tool Bulkhead broke, leaps into the air and outstretched its wickedly sharp claws. Ratchet ducks out of the way with a startled yelp, watching in surprise as it turns to face him. It jumps once more, and Ratchet ducks away again, grabbing a steel pipe.

He starts swinging the pipe at the bot, which moves out of the way with startling speed. He hits the wall a few times as he misses, and when he swings again it ducks behind his microscope, and slices it apart.

"I needed that!" Ratchet exclaims angrily.

The crab bot scurries for him again, and Ratchet stumbles back in alarm, accidentally dropping his pipe. The bot leaps into the air for his face, claws outstretched, when an Energon blast suddenly slams into it.

Ratchet looks over, sighing in relief at the sight of Optimus and Ironhide standing nearby. The bot begins to twitch, slowly coming online when Ironhide marches forwards, heavily slamming his foot down on it, crushing it flat.

"Little pests," he grumbles.

"And stay broken!" Ratchet snaps at the bot, turning to Optimus and Ironhide. "Now, what could have caused that?!"

"I have a grave suspicion Ratchet," Optimus says with a grin look, staring at the broken tool. "Dark Energon."

* * *

 ** _The Nemesis; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

After having plunged the dark energon shard into his spark, Megatron was standing in place, stretching his limbs and sighing in an almost demonic way.

"Lord Megatron?" Starscream asks hesitantly.

"It's as if the blood of Unicron the Destroyer, flows through my veins! As if I hear his very thoughts," Megatron whispers gleefully, and rips out another shard of dark energon. "I now know what I must do."

Starscream grunts nervously as Megatron marches past him out towards the deck. "And what can I do to assist you, Master?"

"Quit groveling," Megatron snaps. "And wait my command."

With the order clearly given, Megatron runs forwards a few steps and then jumps into the air, transforming into his vehicle form, and blasting off into the air. From his position on the bridge, Starscream watches him go with an irritated frown on his face, and glances behind him. He jumps in surprise for a brief moment upon finding Soundwave standing right behind him.

"Soundwave!" he exclaims, quickly recovering his wits. "I fear that when our Master reached for the stars, he came down with a touch of space madness. Lord Megatron has not been of sound judgment since his return."

Starscream turns to face Soundwave with a firm look on his face. "Increase global surveillance!"

 _"Quit groveling. And wait my command,"_ Soundwave replies, using a recording of Megatron.

"I'm not deaf!" Starscream exclaims irritably. "But if Optimus Prime lives, I believe it is in Lord Megatron's best interest that we ensure his enemies, destruction."

"And how would you be going about that Scream?" a voice says.

Starscream growls to himself as he turns to see a large, tanky Decepticon walking into the bridge. Soundwave also glances over at the sight of the new arrival.

"Whatever do you mean Brawl?" Starscream demands.

"I said, how exactly do you plan to ensure the destruction of the Autobots?" Brawl asks with a mocking grin, crossing his arms. "You did a fantastic job these last few years."

Starscream growls angrily and marches up to Brawl, glaring up at the tank-like Decepticon.

"I am your commanding officer Brawl! And you will show me that respect!" he states angrily.

"Yeah yeah," Brawl scoffs, waving a disbelieving servo.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"Dark Energon?" Ironhide questions with a frown. "Are you sure Prime?"

"No, but if the residue Arcee found on Cliffjumper brought Ratchet's broken equipment to life, it would stand to reason that the very same substance brought Cliffjumper back from the dead," Optimus reasons in response, looking at the tool which was now stored in a containment pod.

Ratchet hums thoughtfully, a hand on his chin. "That would account for his life signal inexplicably coming back online, but Dark Energon? It's so scarce it seems to be virtually non-existent! What would it be doing on Earth?

"It was transported. By Megatron," Optimus states.

"What would he need Dark Energon for?" Ironhide asks.

"To conquer this planet, by raising an army of the undead," he replies.

"Well, Megatron would need to break quite a few toaster ovens," Ratchet scoffs disbelievingly. "I mean, where on this world would he find that many cybertronian dead?"

Unlike Ratchet, both Ironhide and Optimus shared a grim look, knowing about a particular battle that occurred on Earth. Just then, the sound of tires screeching into the base get their attention, and they all look over and watch as the others drive into the base. Elita, Arcee, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead, all come to a stop and allow their passengers to disembark. The kids all get out laughing, allowing the bots to transform.

"That was awesome!" Jack exclaims.

"Honestly, that was pretty cool," Alex remarks.

"Can we do it again?" Raf asks.

"Sweet!" Miko cheers.

"Seems like you lot sure had fun," Ironhide remarks, crossing his arms.

"It was quite interesting, that I will say," Elita replies with a smile.

Bulkhead then groans, reaching into his chest and pulling out Miko's guitar. She rushes over, reaching out to grab it as he lowers it down to her.

"Sorry! Must have left that in the back seat!" Miko comments.

Optimus then marches along the line of Autobots, heading for the bridge.

"Autobots, prepare to-" he starts, before suddenly stopping upon remembering the kids.

"Roll out?" Elita offers, a hand on her hip.

"Remain here," he says with a placating hand, looking towards the other two. "Ironhide, Ratchet, you'll come with me."

"Ready to roll Prime," Ironhide confirms with a nod.

"Elita, we'll be outside communications range for some time so I'm putting you in charge," Optimus says, and she nods in understanding.

"Dude, You're biggest. You should be the boss!" Miko exclaims to Bulkhead.

"Err, he never picks me," he replies uneasily. Arcee walks up to Optimus, looking displeased.

"Optimus, with all due respect, playing bodyguard is one thing; babysitting's another," she states.

Jack then sighs in exasperation, beginning to walk away while Alex rolls her eyes. Elita just smiles in amusement at the comment, facing her.

"Cheer up sister, it isn't too large of a deal," she comments.

"As a matter of fact, it is," Arcee retorts irritably. "Besides, Ratchet hasn't been in the field since the war."

Ironhide chuckles to himself while Ratchet looks over in annoyance. "My pistons may be rusting, but my hearing is sharp as ever!"

"For the moment it's only reconnaissance," Optimus states firmly.

"Optimus, I do have to admit though that there is something bothering you. Are you sure this will just be another reconnaissance mission?" Elita asks in concern.

"Elita, Arcee, much has changed in the last 24 hours, and we all need to adapt," Optimus says, turning away. "Ratchet! Bridge us out!"

Ratchet pulls the lever to activate the ground bridge, and the assembled group all watch as he, Optimus and Ironhide all head through the bridge. Once they pass through, the ground bridge closes down, and Jack turns to look up at the bots.

"Ok, chief so uh, what's on the activities list?" he asks.

Elita glances down curiously, while Arcee rolls her eyes and walks off.

"I'm going on patrol," she states.

"Oh come on Arcee, you need to lighten up," Elita comments.

"I'll lighten up in the sunlight," she retorts.

"But Optimus told us to stay," Bulkhead adds.

Well when you're in charge, you get to call the shots," she replies, walking past him. "'Bee! With me!"

Bumblebee looks between Arcee and the humans and lets out a long beep of disappointment, reluctantly trudging over to Arcee.

"You know, I could order you to stay here, considering I am your commanding officer," Elita points out.

"And you're also my sister, so I'm ignoring you," Arcee retorts.

Arcee and Bumblebee then transform into their vehicle modes, and shoot out of the base. Bulkhead and Elita both watch them go, the former turning back to the others with a sheepish grin.

"So uh, what's on the activities list?" he asks.

A sudden ringing sound pierces the air, causing the Alex, Jack, Raf and the bots to flinch away from it. They glance over towards where Miko was setting up a wide array of band equipment, turning the dials.

"How about band practice?" Miko suggests.

"Wh- seriously? Since when did you bring an entire electric guitar setup?" Alex exclaims irritably.

"Since now, duh," Miko replies.

"But we're not a band," Raf points out.

"Why so antisocial? Come on, Raf!" she laughs, heading over to him. "You play anything?"

"Hmm... keyboard?" he offers meekly.

"Laptops and samples, good!" she nods in approval. "Jack?"

"I... sometimes mess around on the harmonica," he admits hesitantly.

Alex raises an eyebrow at him. "Seriously?"

"Do I look like I do country?" Miko demands, getting in his face. "Just cover yourself in fake blood and jump around screaming."

"Uhh..." Jack trails off, but she heads away.

"Bulkhead! Elita Percussion! We'll go for a big industrial sound," she exclaims eagerly, and the two bots glance at each other.

"And Alex..." Miko starts, trailing off at the glare on her face. "...you can be the, uh, the reviewer!"

Alex rolls her eyes with a scoff, and Miko turns away from her.

"DIY, we are a band! You just need to learn the songs. This one's a ballad. 'My fist, your face!'" she exclaims.

Miko starts playing loud music on the electric guitar, which booms out painfully loud through the speakers. Everyone flinches in response, the humans covering their ears with irritated grimaces on their faces while Elita and Bulkhead both tune out the sound, covering their audio receptors. Alex growls through clenched teeth as she watches Miko play her guitar, getting on her knees for emphasis. The base suddenly begins to blink green rapidly, an alarm going off.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Bulkhead exclaims, gesturing for her to stop.

"Shut that off!" Elita snaps.

"Come on! You can't handle raw power?" she complains, but does so anyways.

"It's the proximity sensor. You need to hide!" Elita orders.

The four kids quickly rush over towards the bots, having no time to find another place to do so. Elita and Bulkhead both stand in front of them, keeping them covered with their pedes, just as the door opens. Agent Fowler and Charlie both walk into the base, the former looking very unhappy.

"Prime!" he demands, looking around before setting his eyes on the two bots.

"Agent Fowler. Uh. He's not here," Bulkhead stammers out nervously. "Nobody's here! Except us, of course."

"Well, where did he go?" he asks irritably.

"He and the others are on a mission right now. Is there anything you want me to tell him?" Elita offers.

"Oh I have a lot to say to you bots. But let me guess: Prime's out pankacking a mini-mall!" he snaps, and Charlie lets out a barely noticeable sigh. "Now, I don't know what language you 'Bots speak on your planet, but Prime promised he would handle the Decepticons, and blowing a crater in the middle of Nebraska is not what the word 'handle' means to me!"

While he goes on his rant, he starts walking across the platform, causing Bulkhead to have to scoot over as well to keep the rest of the kids hidden. Elita glances at them in concern, and Charlie also takes notice, frowning. The electric guitar was making some noise as the cord was stretched to its limit.

"So, you tell Prime-" Fowler pauses, glancing down to see the speakers being yanked by a cord. Charlie also notices, widening her eyes in realization while Fowler turns a suspicious glare upwards. "Since when are you bots, electric?"

Bulkhead widens his optics in horror, glancing down at his foot, while Elita crosses her arms with an uneasy look on her face. Alex sends a withering glare at Miko, who was smiling sheepishly back at them, the guitar held in her hands. Realizing that their cover is blown, they all walk out and face the government agents, and Jack sends them a sheepish smile.

"Hey! How are you doing?" he asks pleasantly.

"Well isn't this interesting," Charlie remarks with interest, crossing her arms.

"Contact with civilians!" Fowler exclaims furiously, smacking the guardrail. "Team Prime, has really gone off book this time. Wait, don't tell me! You're running a day-care center!"

"Well..." Charlie starts to say, recalling her original predicament.

"Your situation was a lot different!" Fowler cuts her off.

"Ooookk..." Bulkhead mutters nervously.

"We're... interns!" Jack exclaims, swinging his arm confidently.

"Student interns!" Raf adds sheepishly.

"Earning extra credit in, auto-shop!" Jack offers.

"Robotics!" Miko says cheerfully.

Alex stands there with crossed arms, raising an eyebrow at them. "Do you really think two government agents are gonna buy that?"

"Agent Fowler, I promise you there is a very good explanation for why we have humans in the base," Elita states, stepping forwards.

"I would hear them out Bill. It could've been a similar situation to how I met them," Charlie suggests placatingly.

"Save it Watson! I know you have a soft spot for the bots, but this is a serious problem!" Fowler states, marching down the stairs and towards the kids. "Alright, now let's move! I'm taking all four of you into federal custody. It's for your own protection!"

Before he could get any closer, Bulkhead slams his massive foot down in front of them, blocking his way.

"We're protecting them!" Bulkhead states firmly.

"Is that so?" Fowler demands with a glare, moving over to a nearby phone. "Well, maybe you can explain that to my superiors at the Triskelion!"

Fowler picks up the phone and prepares to dial in a number, much to Bulkhead's alarm.

"Don't use that phone! It's-" he says, jabbing his finger into the phone, effectively breaking it. "-out of order.

"This isn't over, Bigfoot! Not by a long shot!" Fowler exclaims angrily, throwing the phone down.

The assembled group watch tensely as Fowler storms up the stairs, headed for the main elevator. Charlie watches him walk by with a wary look on her face, and turns to the bots.

"I'll try and smooth it over for you guys, but I can't guarantee anything," she says.

"We're grateful for the help," Elita assures her with a smile.

"Agent Watson!" Fowler snaps.

Charlie glances back and gives the bots and humans a long look before turning around and entering the elevator beside Fowler. Once the door closes shut, Bulkhead sighs nervously, unsure of what will happen.

* * *

 ** _Cybertronian Battle Sight; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet all march through the barren, rocky wasteland, located on a remote region of the planet. Small levels of fog float along the ground, and they continue searching for the long-lost battle sight. Ratchet was still doubtful about the entire idea.

"Optimus, what do we hope to find here?" Ratchet asks.

"The site of the largest cybertronian battlefield in this galaxy," Optimus replies.

"On Earth? You must be joking!" he scoffs disbelievingly.

"He isn't joking Ratchet," Ironhide says firmly. "I know of it because I was a part of that battle."

Ratchet looks at Ironhide in surprise, having not known that, and Optimus glances down at him. "Do you recall the period late in the war, when both sides began hiding their energon spoils off-world?"

"Of course, that's the reason energon deposits exist on planets such as this one," Ratchet says.

"It is also the reason battles came to be waged on planets such as this one," Optimus adds, looking forwards grimly. "And I fear Megatron's memory is as long as history."

* * *

 _ **Jasper; Nevada**_

 **Charlie POV...**

Climbing into the helicopter, I give Fowler a concerned look, unsure about our current predicament now that civilians are involved. Of course I'm not exactly one to talk since that was exactly my situation when Bumblebee first arrived, but that was before the government became involved and set up the program. They aren't gonna be forgiving at all, and while I know for sure that the bots have the correct intentions, the higher-ups may not see it that way.

"The Director is not gonna like this," I remark grimly, fingering the eagle logo on my uniform.

"As well he shouldn't. It's already bad enough that cities have been attacked in the past. We don't need civilians purposefully putting themselves in harms way," Fowler states firmly.

I glance down with a sigh, but look ahead as fowler pilots the helicopter into the air, headed for the nearest base. Once in the air, he sends out a call, which is swiftly answered, and begins talking.

"Sir, Agent Fowler and Agent Watson here," he reports. "We have a situation. We're en-route from the Autobot base, and we'll brief you in person."

After the communication, Fowler continues to fly us over in the direction of the nearest air base. After some time, the radar begins beeping, showing a large flying object approaching our position.

"Hey big bird, I'm flying here!" Fowler says in annoyance.

Getting a better look at the readings, I widen my eyes in alarm. "That's not a bird."

My fears are confirmed when a flying Decepticon drone appears directly ahead, screaming through the air for us with a chittering sound.

"What in uncle Sam's beard!?" Fowler exclaims in alarm.

"It's Laserbeak!" I say worriedly.

Laserbeak streams through the air right for us, heading on a collision course. Fowler luckily manages to avoid the drone just in time, yanking the throttle to the side.

"First the freeways aren't safe, now air travel?!" he complains.

Behind us, Laserbeak gives chase as we fly through the canyon, and I glance back at it with a worried frown.

"He's gaining on us Fowler," I report.

"Go figure," he replies sarcastically.

Getting and idea, I press a button on my wristband, and it morphs into a small Cybertronian blaster, courtesy of the Autobots. Fowler glances at it in surprise, gaping at me.

"Wh- where'd you get that?!" he demands.

"Gift from Ratchet!" I tell him. "Keep us going, I'll try and shoot it down."

"How in the name of Uncle Sam are you gonna try and shoot that thing?" he demands incredulously.

Ignoring him, I wrap a strap around my right arm and then pull open the helicopter door, leaning half of my body out. Spotting Laserbeak, I raise the Cybertronian blaster in my left hand and start shooting blue energy blasts at it, keeping a firm grasp on the helicopter. Laserbeak swiftly avoids the shots, and Fowler starts flying up vertically to avoid a massive cliff.

Once we reach the top, I pull off another shot and manage to knick the drone's armor, causing it to swerve off course a little bit. Using the distraction, Fowler then suddenly drops the helicopter down below the other side of the cliff, and I stumble for a moment to keep myself on board.

"Now it's my turn!" he shouts at me.

Rolling my eyes, I pull myself back into the helicopter and close the door as we wait. Once Laserbeak shoots past us, Fowler pulls us back into the air and begins chasing it, a grin on his face.

"You wanna dance, 'Con? I'll lead!" he declares.

Fowler then begins shooting the helicopters gun at Laserbeak, a heavy barrage of bullets streaming past the drone. Upon noticing they don't do much damage on contact, a concerned frown forms on my face. The situation then becomes bad when the helicopter runs out of ammo. Taking the chance, Laserbeak then swivels upwards and shoot down at us, slicing through the tail of the helicopter before Fowler could react in time. We begin spiraling out of the air dangerously, alarms beeping furiously.

"Never an Autobot around when you actually need one!" Fowler says worriedly.

"No kidding! And I have a pretty good idea of why they want us!" I tell him grimly.

"Yeah, me too," he replies in agreement.

Fowler struggles to keep the helicopter stabilized, but without the tail it's useless. He quickly decides to forgo it and reaches for the distress beacon. Laserbeak then decides to make a reappearance by latching onto the helicopter, two claws smashing through the glass towards us. I do my best to fight them off while Fowler tries getting the distress call out, but the claws quickly overpower me, each grabbing one of our arms.

As we're yanked out, I see Fowler press the button, and the helicopter falls away below us. The helicopter falls to the ground in a fiery explosion, and Laserbeak begins carrying away. Without the drone noticing, I reach a hand out and press a small pin clipped onto my jacket, sending a signal to the Autobots.

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

The proximity sensor is beeping again, but this time extremely loud, the green flashing really constant. I grimace at the loud sound, and some of the others are holding their ears.

"My ears!" Raf complains.

Elita walks over to the console and presses a few buttons, frowning in concern. "It's an S. O. S. From Charlie and Fowler."

"Did you trace it?" Jack asks hopefully.

"Scrap. The location scan is uncomplete," she replies in frustration.

"Oh, well," Bulkhead shrugs carelessly and the rest of us look at him in bewilderment.

"Oh, well? Seriously?" Jack asks.

"Bulkhead!" Elita snaps disapprovingly.

"Fowler's a jerk!" he protests.

"W-woah!" Jack exclaims incredulously.

"That doesn't mean you can just shrug it off. He's in danger, and so is Charlie! As Autobots we're supposed to protect others, not let them die!" Elita scolds, a glare on her face. "Besides that, they also know our location. I'd hate to think of what the Decepticons will do to them for it."

"And did we not just witness how fast Fowler backs down from a 'Bot? The 'Cons will totally make him squeal!" Miko adds.

"But we lost the transmission. Fowler could be anywhere!" Bulkhead points out.

"Maybe I can narrow it down," Raf suggests. We watch as he sits down and pulls out his laptop, fixing his glasses. "About five years ago the Government started microchipping their agents. You know, like owners do with pets."

Upon noticing our silence, he glances up to find us all looking at him in bewilderment.

"What? I saw it on TV!" he defends himself. "Anyway, if I can hack into the Fed's mainframe maybe I can pinpoint Fowler and Charlie's coordinates!"

"You know how to hack? But you're like two years old!" Miko says incredulously.

"Twelve. And a quarter," he corrects with a grin.

"You go Raf," I congratulate with a grin.

"Sorry to ruin your good moment, but you won't be able to get their coordinates that way. At least, not Charlie's," Elita says. "The organization she works for uses a closed circuit, so it's unhackable unless you have very advanced equipment."

"So, how are we gonna find them?" I ask her.

"Luckily, Charlie managed to activate her own beacon for us," she reassures is with a smile. "You can lookup Fowler's location just to ensure it's correct."

* * *

 ** _The Nemesis; Earth_**

 **Charlie POV...**

Fowler and I are moved into a very dimly lit room, falling to our knees. I glare up at the Vehicon above us and then turn my gaze forwards, where a thin Decepticon seeker was standing, his back to us.

"Welcome, Agent Fowler," Starscream greets, looking back at us with a leering grin. "And Agent Watson. Aren't you an interesting sight."

"Starscream," I state neutrally. "You should know you've made a big mistake."

"Have I?" he questions mockingly. "Oh I think I haven't. You see, unlike when Dropkick and Shatter failed, you have no Autobot's to come rescue you."

"I wouldn't be so sure," I retort.

"You treat all your guests this nice?" Fowler asks sarcastically, brushing his suit coat.

"Any friend of the Autobots," he replies with a chuckle.

"Autobot? That one of them coin operated wash-my-own-car places?" Fowler asks with a mocking grin.

Starscream blinks before frowning irritably at us. "Oh, so that's how it's going to be, hmm? Apparently no one has told you I have no appreciation for human humor."

"Guess I shouldn't make a comment on the high heels then," I remark with a shrug.

Starscream growls at me, but doesn't respond. "Make our guests comfortable."

The Vehicon's then lean down, reaching out towards us, and we give them an uneasy look, dreading the possible outcomes that could happen.

* * *

 **Elita POV...**

"Latitude 39.5, Longitude 116.9," Raf says From his computer.

"Yup, those are Charlie's coordinates as well," I say in agreement, checking the beacon locator.

Bulkhead inputs the coordinates into the ground bridge, and it flares to life with the familiar glow. We march towards the bridge, before I turn to look back at the humans momentarily.

"You four, here until we get back," I order them.

"Aww, don't break up the band!" Miko protests.

"This is serious Miko!" Alex scolds her.

"Uhh, Jack, you're in charge!" Bulkhead exclaims.

I roll my optics at him and then follow him through the ground bridge, jumping out on the other side. We come out in a rocky canyon, bright sunlight streaming down to the ground.

"Fowler?" Bulkhead asks, and I give him a look.

"Let's move it Bulk," I tell him.

I begin heading through the canyon quickly with caution, and Bulkhead follows after me. Coming upon a wide clearing, I take cover behind the wall and then look out, widening my optics in surprise.

"Woah... The whole Decepticon shibang!" Bulkhead mutters.

We move forwards cautiously, taking cover behind a couple of large boulders to keep hidden. Looking out at the Nemesis, I analyze the surroundings and do a quick count on the drones, before turning to Bulkhead.

"Alright, here's what we need to do-" I start to say.

"Sweet!" someone exclaims loudly, and we look over in alarm to spot Miko hiding behind another boulder, a wide grin on her face. "What's the plan?"

"Miko!" Bulkhead hisses.

"You there!"

We look up to see a few Vehicon drones approaching Miko, aiming there blasters. She widens her eyes at the sight, realizing that she just blew her cover.

"Oh. Unwise," she murmurs.

"Slaggit Miko," I growl irritably.

"Miko, get down!" Bulkhead exclaims.

Bulkhead and I rush forwards, jumping over Miko and slamming into the Vehicon's, taking them by surprise. Bulkhead grapples with one, while I roundhouse kick another and deflect a few punches from the last one.

"Hold him still!" Miko exclaims.

She raises a tiny rock and slams it onto the helm of the Vehicon Miko was wrestling, barely making a scratch. Bulkhead quickly scoots her up and places her far away before resuming his fight.

I duck underneath another punch before twirling behind the con, whipping out a wrist blade and slicing his head off. The other con tries to blindside me, but I grab his arm and flip him over top of me, jabbing my blade into his spark to effectively shut him down.

"Miko, look away!" Bulkhead exclaims.

"But-" she protests.

"Turn your head away!" he orders.

Bulkhead then smashes his fist into the Vehicon and then rips out the wiring in his gut, sending sparks everywhere. I grimace at the gruesome sight, but Miko's eyes were shining in total awe.

"You've gotta be kriffing me," I groan angrily.

Bulkhead then scoops Miko back up, and we quickly move out of sight to keep from being spotted, dragging the dead drones with us. Glancing out at the Nemesis, I bring a hand to my comlink and call the others.

"Arcee, Bumblebee, do you read?" I ask them.

 _"Loud and clear, Elita,"_ Arcee replies.

"We have a bit of a situation. I need you over here quick," I inform her.

 _"Oh really? I thought you were all for hanging out with humans,"_ she replies sarcastically. _"Seriously, they're children. Just do whatever!"_

"Me and Bulkhead are at the Nemesis right now. Miko decided to tag along," I state with a deadpan.

The sound of screeching tires comes over the comlink, followed by Arcee's shocked and infuriated voice.

 _"You are where?! She is where??!!"_ she yells.

"You heard me. I need you guys over here, pronto," I order them.

* * *

 **Alexandra POV...**

"I can't believe that idiot would do something like this!" I seethe angrily, pacing back and forth.

"What should we do? Bulkhead may have not even realized she'd followed him!" Raf says nervously.

"Miko hasn't seen the 'Cons in action like we have. She has no idea!" Jack adds.

"I'm gonna kill her if the Decepticons don't," I mutter irritably.

"Those are the coordinates. Their destination is still locked in," Raf informs us, looking at his laptop. At our direction, he deactivated the ground bridge, and me and Jack begin heading over to it.

"You're in charge!" Jack tells him.

"In charge of who?" he replies in exasperation, running after us.

* * *

 **Charlie POV...**

The Vehicon's has us both hanging up in the center of the dark room by metal chains, and Starscream prowled around us irritably.

"Agent's Fowler and Watson, I have one single request that would save your families the pain of grieving. Tell me the location of the Autobot base!"

he demands.

"No problem. But I need to ask you something first," Fowler replies.

"Yes, I'm listening," Starscream says eagerly, leaning closer.

"I've got an issue with the customer service around here. Can I speak to the manager?" he asks with a grin.

"I make the decisions here. I am in charge!" Starscream yells with a frustrated growl.

"Oh really? I thought that was Megatron my lord," I retort mockingly.

Surprisingly, Starscream manages to contain his anger, and glances back at a Vehicon.

"Bring the prod," he orders.

* * *

 **Elita POV...**

"What's taking Arcee and Bumblebee?" Bulkhead asks uneasily.

"They'll be here, don't worry," I reassure them.

"Dude, the cons could be putting the clamps on Fowler right now. Let's just storm the joint!" Miko insists.

"It's not that simple Miko!" I snap at her.

A ground bridge then opens nearby, and I allow myself some relief, only for it to fall away when Alex, Jack and Raf all jump out, walking forwards as the bridge closes behind them.

"Why don't those guys hang with their own 'Bots? This is our one-on-one time!" Miko complains.

I send her an irritated glare, and she smiles back up at me sheepishly.

"You there!" a Vehicon on the ship yells.

The three kids all look up in alarm as the Decepticons all aim their blasters at them, ready to fire.

"Scrap!" Bulkhead, Miko and I all say.

* * *

 **Charlie POV...**

"I'll ask nicely one last time. The Autobot base!" Starscream demands, holding a large, dangerous looking prod at us.

"Sure thing buddy, right after you eat my star-spangled shorts!" Fowler snaps, thrashing around in his chains.

Growling, Starscream jabs the prod into Fowler's stomach, delivering an electric shock that causes him to yell out in pain.

"Fowler!" I say in alarm.

"As I imagined. Energon and human nervous systems don't mix," Starscream comments, smirking.

I glare angrily at him, and he turns his gaze towards me with a sinister grin, moving the prod over to me.

"Next?" he asks.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet all turn around a corner, coming across a wide open canyon. The empty space was cluttered with deceased Cybertronians, all broken into twisted wreaks of metal. Ironhide looks at the sight grimly, still remembering it well.

"For the first time in my life, Optimus I had hoped that you were wrong," Ratchet says quietly.

The three then hear the sound of jet engines soaring overhead, and look up to see Megatron approaching. The Decepticon leader transforms to stand on top of a large cliff on the opposite sight of the battlefield, and grins down at them.

"Optimus! Been well?" Megatron asks mockingly, his voice booming. "I see you brought the old, gruff storyteller, and your trusty watchdog! I was certain they'd be, convulsing in a scrap yard by now!"

"Oh, buckethead is gonna get it," Ironhide growls, stomping forwards and allowing his massive cannons to swivel out.

"Why don't you invite him down here for a chat?" Ratchet adds in agreement, bashing his knuckles together and cracking his neck.

Optimus moves past them to look up at Megatron with a firm stare. "I know why you're here, Megatron."

"Hardly a surprise, Optimus!" Megatron replies in amusement. "After all, you and I have been at this a long time. And your time has come to an end!"

Megatron then whips out a glowing purple shard of Dark Energon, and then throws it down into the ground. The shard impales the earth before its absorbed into the rock. Purple light then streams forth from the ground, and Megatron begins to glow purple as well, his optics a bright violet.

"Rise, my army!" he shouts.

All across the battlefield, the dead Cybertronians become infected with the dark energon. They begin crawling their way out of the ground with groans and shrieks, moaning and stomping towards the Autobots.

"By the Allspark!" Ratchet breathes out in horror.

Ironhide widens his optics, horrified and angered at the sight of the Cybertronian's he once fought beside or against being raised into mindless beasts. One terracon slices a cleaver menacingly, and Optimus grimaces at the sight.

"Behold, the power of Dark, Energon!" Megatron yells triumphantly.

The terracons begin their move, shuffling towards the three Autobots with the intent to kill and rip them apart.


	6. Ch 5 - Darkness Rising Pt 4

**_Cybertronian battlefield; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet continue to take steps back as the terracons start marching towards them, more and more continuing to rise from the ground to join their ranks. Ironhide, recognizing many of these mechs and femmes, growls with fury and whips out his massive cannons.

"That, no-good, despicable decepti-creep!" he seethes, glaring up at Megatron.

"Megatron has desecrated the resting place of our fallen ancestors. And his own!" Ratchet exclaims, horrified.

"Not even the dead are free from his warmongering," Optimus replies grimly.

From up above on his towering perch, Megatron watches the scene with a delighted, sickening grin on his face. "At last, symbiosis! I can feel it. I possess complete control over my army."

He then gestures out with his arm, raising a clenched fist. "Destroy them!"

The terracons begin surging forwards with their clawed hands outstretched, rushing for the Autobots. In response, Optimus and Ironhide begin firing their blasters and cannons, shooting at all of the terracons. However, despite their powerful arsenal, many of the terracons don't go down instantly, requiring multiple shots to completely blow them out of commission so they couldn't function.

"Optimus, if our combatants are already deceased, how can we possibly defeat them?" Ratchet asks worriedly.

"Ratchet, Ironhide, retreat! Bridge yourselves back to base!" Optimus orders.

"Frag that Prime!" Ironhide retorts instantly.

Ratchet nods in agreement, pulling out his blades and moving forwards. "No. We shall stand with you, Optimus!"

He and Ironhide move forwards to stand on either side of Optimus, who looks at the both of them.

"You may require a medic when this is over with," Ratchet remarks with a small smile.

"Doesn't hurt to have some additional firepower," Ironhide adds.

Ratchet moves forwards into the fray and takes a few slices at some of the terracons, slicing ones arm of and cutting through another. While Ironhide and Optimus continue firing at the cons, the former bashing the head in of one that gets to close, Ratchet observes the amputated limb, watching it cease to function.

"I recommend dissection. The smaller the pieces, the better!" Ratchet tells them.

Optimus and Ironhide both stop in place, the latter grinning eagerly.

"Sound advice, old friend," Optimus nods in approval.

Optimus then transforms his blasters into servos, before whipping out his long and deadly sharp swords. At the same time, Ironhide also puts his cannons away, and a pair of sharp, spiked knuckles form on his fists, which he bashes together. The two war veterans then move forwards, swiftly cutting down many terracons foolish enough to cross them. Optimus slashes his sword to cut through several cons, slicing them in half and cutting off limbs. One terracon attempts to strike at him with his cleaver, but Optimus easily blocks it before stabbing his sword upwards and straight through his head, actually separating it from the body.

Ironhide also jumps into the fray of terracons with a gleeful battle cry. He punches one, sending it flying before swinging his other arm around to bash against another. He grabs one terracon that gets to close and then hrows him over his shoulder to slam into another one. His next punch completely rips apart one terracons chassis, another getting shredded by his sharp knuckles impact against its helm. Megatron continues watching from his perch, unconcerned about them currently decimating his undead army.

"I have mastered Dark Energon. When you fall, Optimus, you too shall join my army!" he declares triumphantly.

Optimus looks up with narrowed optics, Ironhide and Ratchet moving up beside him. Then, the three autobots and old friends start rushing forwards, slashing and punching their way through the terracons to get closer to Megatron.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis; Earth**_

The vehicons up on the Nemesis opened fire on the three kids, a high barrage of red energon blasts shooting down and impacting against the ground next to them. Jack, Raf and Alex stumble about as the ground shakes from the impact of so many lasers, while Elita, Bulkhead and Miko look out in alarm. Raf is then blown onto his back, and Jack and Alex move over to cover him with their bodies.

"Bulkhead!" Elita exclaims.

"I'm on it!" he shouts.

Bulkhead then grabs Miko and transforms into his vehicle mode, driving towards the others as fast as he could, while Elita begins shooting back up at the Decepticons to draw their fire. She manages to score a hit on one of the cons, causing him to fall off the side and all the way to the ground below. The vehicons swiftly change their aim towards her while Bulkhead reaches the others.

"Get in, now!" he exclaims, opening his door.

Jack, Raf and Alex waste no time in diving inside, and the door swiftly shuts behind them. Raf climbs into the back so that the others could sit up front, and Bulkhead shoots off. He swerves around some laser fire as a few vehicons take notice of him again.

"Thanks, Bulkhead," Jack exhales in gratitude.

"Yeah, thanks," Raf adds.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" he stammers in bewilderment.

"We were worried about Miko. Have you seen her?" Jack asks.

"What's she look like?" Miko suddenly asks cheerfully, popping up from the backseat.

Alex fumes with anger, not amused at all. "You little-!"

She reaches out to grab at Miko, much to the younger girls alarm, having a quick tussle with her, unable to form words to express her anger. Miko yelps in alarm, while the two boys watch with wide eyes, unsure of what to do. Before anything could continue on further, Bulkhead comes to a stop behind a large boulder, opening his door.

"Stop it, stop it!" Bulkhead tells the girls. "Everyone out! And this time, please, wait here?"

Alex growls but relents, releasing Miko and climbing out. Jack and Raf soon follow, and wait for Miko to come out. However the door then closes, and they widen their eyes in alarm.

"Wait! Bulkhead-" Alex shouts.

He drives off before she could warn him, and starts swerving around the barrage of energon blasts as more vehicons emerge from the ship to fire. He drives over to Elita, who transforms into her vehicle mode once taking notice of him.

The two Autobots then shoot for the cliff side and go underneath the Nemesis. Driving up a small rocky ramp, they transform midair and grab onto the rocks, beginning a fast climb up the side of the cliff. Moving faster than the bulkier mech, Elita flips off of the side and then grabs onto the spike of the Nemesis, flipping herself up and onto the deck. Energon blasts shoot near her and she rolls forwards, whipping out her wrist blades.

Dashing at the cons, she slices through one of the them and then kicks the other away, sending him tumbling over the side of the Nemesis. Another Vehicon aims his blaster at her, but before he could fire a hand reaches up, grabbing his ankle and pulling him off. Moments later Bulkhead leaps up, landing on the deck with a pounding fist. Standing up, the two Autobots face the approaching vehicons and rush towards them as they open fire. Bulkhead whips out his mace and bashes one vehicon, taking off his head, while Elita slams a fist against the helm of the one behind it.

One more vehicon continues to fire his blaster at the pair, but Bulkhead jumps up into the air. The vehicon looks up, trying to follow him, but is promptly flattened as Bulkhead bodyslams him. Bulkhead gets back to his feet, looking around for any more sign of Decepticons. Elita takes a moment to look over the Nemesis, spotting Alex, Jack and Raf on the ground...

"Where's Miko?" she calls out in alarm.

The sound of pounding from Bulkhead gets their attention, and he opens his chest compartment to reveal an exhausted and dizzy Miko clambering out, gasping for air.

"Miko?!" Bulkhead asks incredulously.

"I heaved on your floor mats. Sorry," she apologizes, before covering her mouth again as she gags.

Bulkhead holds a hand out, and she climbs into it, being lowered to the ground as he closes up his chest compartment.

"Remind me, never to do that again," Miko says.

"What the slag were you thinking?" Elita admonishes, before looking at Bulkhead. "Bulkhead, you were supposed to drop her off with the others!"

"Wh- I did!" he protests.

"Clearly not," she retorts dryly, gesturing to the panting Miko.

Before they could argue further, a vehicon rushes forwards and bodyslams Elita, tackling her to the ground. She grunts in surprise and wrestles the con for a moment, swiftly getting on top of him. Once there she brings out her wrist blade and hacks at his helm, swiftly removing his head in a shower of sparks. She then looks up, widening her optics.

Miko freezes up in alarm as she hears a door open, and looks behind her to spot two vehicons rising up on a platform. She runs away as they start reaching out for her, but Bulkhead shoots his energon blaster, killing one and drawing the attention of the other. The vehicon moves over to join up wth three others, and begin firing at Bulkhead. Miko crouches on the ground, covering her head, but is then scooped up by Elita as she rolls forwards, depositing her behind a control panel.

Bulkhead blocks one laser blast with his arm and then looks around, spotting a satellite dish. Running over to it, he rips the dish off and then chucks it at the vehicons, smashing through all of them. Elita and Miko then move forwards upon seeing the area cleared for the moment, and Elita hands her over to Bulkhead.

"Please keep an eye on her," she sighs in exhaustion.

"Oh boy..." he mutters in response.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Miko asks.

Before anyone could respond, more blaster fire hits nearby as more vehicons begin converging on them. Bulkhead covers Miko with his hand while Elita looks for an exit, spotting the open hatch.

"Let's go Bulk!" she exclaims.

She rushes over to the hatch and jumps into the ship, and Bulkhead follows right after, closing the hatch and sealing it shut. The pair then begin running through the corridors of the warship, headed in no clear direction.

"Which way should we go?" Bulkhead asks.

"I'd say they probably have Charlie and Fowler in the brig," she replies.

*:*:*

 **Alexandra POV...**

Elita and Bulkhead disappeared from view with Miko a short while ago, leaving things mostly quiet. I was still seething about her stupidity in sneaking along with the autobots, AGAIN, so clearly she has no common sense!

"Think they forgot about us?" Raf asks meekly.

A sound behind us has us turning around, and we widen our eyes in alarm upon spotting two Decepticons towering over us, one reaching out a clawed hand.

"They didn't," I say nervously.

*:*:*

 **Elita POV...**

As me and Bulkhead were continuing to run towards the direction of the bridge, Miko almost heaved in Bulkhead's hand once again, still feeling sick from all of the crazy action. I withhold an irritated sigh, having not expected things to go this way at all. Who knew humans from earth were so much more foolish than humans from the Andromeda galaxy?!

"We're gonna have a serious talk when we get back to base Miko," I state firmly.

"Seriously?" she asks dryly.

"Yes, _seriously_ ," I tell her with a glare.

Two vehicons then appear further down the hallway, looking up at us in obvious surprise. Bulkhead quickly brings his arm back and then slides Miko across the floor, where she goes skidding for at least a hundred feet. The vehicons glance at her, distracted, and I take the opportunity to jump up and slam my feet into the helm of one of the cons, while Bulkhead slams the other into a wall with a powerful punch.

Miko comes to a stop, crawling to her feet and looks up, only to be scooped back up by Bulkhead as we continue running by.

*:*:*

 **Alexandra POV...**

Having been captured by two Decepticons, we're now being brought on an involuntary tour through their warship, every corridor dark and purple and looking very unfriendly. I grimace at the thought of this being all there is to see every single day. One of them was holding Jack and Raf, while the one leading had me in one hand, its other transformed into a blaster.

"Bring them to the brig. Commander Starscream is keeping the other humans there," the one holding me says.

That doesn't sound very fun. Thanks a lot Miko!

Fortunately for us, the sound of a car engine further down the hall gets our attention, and less than a moment later Bumblebee comes shooting around the corner. He slams into the two Decepticons and sends them flying, while also throwing us into the air. I yell out in surprise and fear as I start heading towards the ground, but he transforms and catches me in one hand while Arcee jumps up, catching both Raf and Jack as well. They gently lower us back to the ground, and I get back to my feet with an uneasy sigh.

"Thanks," I tell Bee, and he beeps back in response.

"Bumblebee!" Raf says happily, and Bee starts beeping at him, probably something along the lines of 'are-you-okay' or whatever.

"Appreciate you clearing the front door for us. But storming the Decepticon warship was not on the activities list," Arcee remarks.

"Tell me about it," Jack replies in agreement.

"I'm so gonna kill Miko," I growl out angrily, crossing my arms.

"Well, we have to find them first before you can do that," Arcee replies dryly. "Follow me."

She stands back up, and then she and Bumblebee start moving quickly down the hallway. I suppress a sigh and then start running after them, the others following me as well.

"You'd think they'd remember that we can run as fast as them," I pant out.

"No kidding!" Jack replies in exasperation.

Soon enough though, Arcee comes to a stop beside the corner of the hallway and raises her blaster. Whipping around and aiming, she swiftly freezes to be greeted by Elita's blaster, both of them aiming at each other's heads. Bulkhead was standing behind her, Miko in his hand.

"Friendly!" Arcee exclaims.

"Hello!" Bulkhead cries out.

"Fun reunion," Elita remarks.

They all deactivate their weapons, and the three of us finally catch up to them, stopping to catch our breaths for a moment.

"When you said you were content with looking after the humans, I didn't think that meant you'd bring them into a war zone," Arcee comments.

"Trust me, that wasn't the plan," Elita sighs in response. " _Someone_ decided to sneak along."

"Really?" she replies dryly.

"You try getting them to stay behind!" Bulkhead exclaims, gesturing at Miko.

"Can I just say, I'll gladly chain Miko to a pole the next time you guys open the groundbridge!" I say loudly.

"Hey!" Miko yells with a frown.

"Don't even start with me Miko!" I shout back.

Elita sighs, rubbing her helm. "Let's just focus on the problem. We need to find Charlie and Fowler and get the kids out of here."

"Uhh, he's in the brig," Jack and Raf both say at the same time.

"Figured," Elita grumbles. "Ok. All four of you follow us, and stay together. Do not leave our sight, understand?"

"Oh we do. But she doesn't," I reply, glaring at Miko.

"What's your problem?" Miko demands angrily.

"My problem?!" I ask incredulously.

"Can both of you just stop?" Elita asks loudly, sighing. "Come on, let's move."

*:*:*

 **Charlie POV...**

I yell out in pain as Starscream jabs the prod against my stomach, panting heavily with pained gasps once he removes it.

Still, I manage to look back up at him with a glare, which causes him to frown irritably. Starscream then marches closer to me, his red optics gleaming.

"My dear Charlie Watson. You do realize the Autobots have abandoned you," He drawls with a smirk. "I am the only one you can rely upon now. So tell me what I want to know. Or..."

He holds up his prod, the purple electricity sparkling with dangerous intensity. I don't give in for a second, glaring right back at him.

"Get fragged," I scoff.

Starscream gasps lightly before scowling, glaring at me with anger. He then points the prod at Fowler, who flinches.

"Speak, or he gets it!" he snarls.

"Please, no more..." Fowler whimpers quietly, struggling weakly. "They're in secret government base..."

"Fowler, don't!" I say anxiously, worried.

Starscream smirks at me, turning to Fowler. "Go on."

Just as he was about to answer, the sound of blaster fire and battle becomes audible outside in the hallways, echoing to our ears. I perk up happily, realizing that the Autobots are coming for us. Starscream looks back at the door with a frown before returning his gaze to Fowler.

"Yes?" he questions.

Having heard the noise however, I'm relieved to see that Fowler has regained his determination and resilience.

"In the old steel mill... Or was it under that carnival's fun-house?" he remarks thoughtfully.

Starscream widens his optics before growling with rage, jabbing the prod against him. Fowler screams in pain before falling unconscious, hanging loosely in the chains.

"Someone find out what is going on out there!" Starscream order furiously.

The two vehicon guards activate their blasters and then move out the door, which shuts closed behind them. I throw Starscream a triumphant smirk.

"Looks like you were wrong 'Scream. They always come," I state smugly.

Starscream whips around to glare at me, and then jabs the prod against my stomach again, causing me to yell out in pain as rivers of agony flow through my body.

*:*:*

 **Elita POV...**

A large group of vehicons managed to locate us fairly quickly, cutting us off and surrounding us from both sides. We fire back at them, quickly taking out several Cons despite their relentless advance. Arcee dashes forwards and jumps into the air, kicking one down and punching another.

I glance behind me to see the kids rushing around fearfully, trying their best to avoid all of the chaos. Seeing this, I step in front of them and then shoot down another con before rushing forwards, slashing at another with my wrist blades.

The kids try running over to the side of the hallway, but a vehicon head goes hurtling toward them, and they scatter away as it lands where they previously were. Bumblebee then moves to step protectively in front of them, shooting down more Cons.

While Arcee continues to deal with the Cons in front of us, kicking and slashing at them, I move back over towards the group, stomping my foot down to block an energon bolt that would've gotten to close to the kids for my comfort. I grimace at the pain but push through it, shooting the offending Con in the head.

One of the vehicons then runs forwards to tackle Bulkhead, who is shoved back. He's about to squish the children, but puts his arm down before he could do so. Spotting them there, he glares back at the vehicon and then chucks him overhead as he goes for another tackle, and I swiftly shoot his head once he's down.

With the vehicons all taken care of for now, we glanc around to make sure no more enemies are coming, while Jack and Alex slowly stand up from being crouched over Raf and Miko. I lean down towards them in concern.

"You alright?" I ask them.

"Yeah... that was really close," Alex replies, shuddering with unease.

"Elita, we can't keep moving through the halls with them here," Arcee states firmly.

I nod in agreement. "You're right. We need a safe place to keep them."

 _:Where though? This whole place is crawling with Cons!:_ Bumblebee points out.

I think for a moment before looking at Arcee. "The bridge."

"Wh- Seriously?" Bulkhead asks in bewilderment.

"Correct me if I'm wrong but, isn't the bridge typically the 'commanding' place of a ship? Nd therefore where the people in charge would be?" Alex asks uneasily.

"Cool! Let's go!" Miko asks excitedly.

"Miko!" Jack snaps.

"Starscreams gotta be with Charlie and Fowler, and Megatron isn't here..." I explain, frowning as I pick up a few things from my sparkmate. "Optimus and the others are fighting him, how and where I don't know."

"She's right. It's the last place they'd expect to look," Arcee nods in agreement.

"Well that's too bad," a voice booms, and we look over. "Because I would."

We widen our eyes at the sight of a bulky, towering Decepticon stomping his way towards us, red optics gleaming.

"Woah, is that Mega-whatshisface?" Miko asks.

"Brawl," I recognize with a scowl.

"Oh boy..." Bulkhead mutters.

"Scrap," Arcee sighs, and Bumblebee nods in agreement.

* * *

 ** _Cybertronian battlefield; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Ironhide, Optimus and Ratchet continue to fight against the overwhelming terracons, slashing, shooting, and killing many of them.

Ironhide delivers a fierce uppercut that knocks one Cons head off, and then punches his arm straight through the body of another. He then spins around and whips out his plasma cannon, punching it into the ground. The wave of energy blows outwards a short distance, knocking many of the terracons down.

Ratchet continues to slash and cut through terracons that get too close, but is quickly becoming exhausted. Optimus is attacking with his sword and blaster cannon, shooting off heads and cutting through decayed bodies, slamming one onto the ground after it gets stuck on his sword. Still, even he and Ironhide are getting tired, and the three form a defensive circle.

"Optimus. This prolonged exposure to Dark Energon is sapping our strength," Ratchet pants out.

"We cannot falter now," Optimus replies determinedly.

He then rushes forwards and swipes his sword through a line of Cons, cutting them to pieces. However, one terracons jumps onto his back, getting his attention. The distraction enables more to surge forth, and they grab at his arms, chassis and shoulders, piling on top of them. Optimus tries to shoot them off, but is quickly forced to the ground as the terracons begin to pummel him relentlessly.

Ironhide bashes his fist against one terracon and then glances over, widening his optics upon seeing them crawling over Optimus.

"Prime!" he yells out in alarm.

He makes a dash for the pile of terracons, but one leaps forwards and grabs his leg, tripping him up. Ironhide collapses on the ground with a thud, and swiftly kicks the Con away. However more begin to swarm all over him, punching and biting. Ironhide grunts in pain and continues to punch several to pieces, but there are just too many, and he disappears under a pile.

"Ironhide!" Ratchet yells worriedly.

A terracon then grabs his shoulders, and Ratchet wrestles with him for a moment. Like the other two, terracons begin to converge over Ratchet, grabbing and punching him. One con grabs his arm and twists it, yanks, and then breaks it. Ratchet cries out in pain, collapsing to his knees, while more terracons pile on top of him.

From the top of his perch, Megatron surveys the scene with a chuckle, smirking in delight. If this small force of terracons could subdue even Optimus and Ironhide, then imagine what his true army could accomplish...

The terracons piling on top of Optimus continue to grow in number, all of them punching and scrabbling to get at him. One crawls on top of the pile and attempts to reach down, but a sword is then stabbed though his head. The pile begins to get blasted apart by powerful energon blasts, and Optimus soon bursts out with an angry roar, sending them all flying.

Ironhide then whips out both of his cannons from underneath the pile, and hen begins blasting away in all directions. Powerful energon blasts and heavy weapons shoot outwards, and the pile on top of him is blown apart in a large explosion. He gets to his feet, growling in fury and then grabs a terracon, ripping it in half with his bare hands, and slams both pieces onto the ground.

Optimus and Ironhide both spot the smaller pile of terracons, and move forwards. Ironhide blasts several of them with one powerful shot, while Optimus grabs the last two, smashing them together and throwing them away. He helps Ratchet to his feet, and all three look up.

"Optimus, Ironhide! After all these years, still at the top of your game?" Megatron asks, unconcerned about their escape.

"Top this buckethead!" Ironhide roars.

He aims his cannon and then shoots a large rocket, which shoots for the cliff ledge at frightening speeds. Megatron widens his optics before leaning to the side with a startled growl, watching the rocket fly past. He then returns his focus to the Autobots, scowling irritably.

"My legion, finish them!" he yells.

The remaining terracons begin surging forwards with grunts and growls, and Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet moves to style them once again, slashing and punching their way through.

* * *

 ** _The Nemesis; Earth_**

 **Alexandra POV...**

The large Decepticon that Elita called Brawl lumbers towards us, heavy footsteps stomping. I watch anxiously as he approaches, and Raf gulps nervously. This guy is huge! Not nearly as big as Optimus, but about the size of Ironhide and Bulkhead. Not to mention he looks riddled with weapons fitting of a tank!

"You brought organics?" Brawl asks with a scoff. "I know Elita loves working with them, but these ones can't fight!"

"Oh yeah? Well why don't you try talking to my mace?" Bulkhead asks, whipping out his mace.

"Go get him Bulk!" Miko cheers.

"Shut up Miko! This isn't a game!" I snap.

"I'd love to, right after talking to your insects," Brawl replies.

He then raises his arm, and a massive rocket shoots out of it. I widen my eyes in fear as I see the rocket headed straight for us. Luckily, Elita rolls over and scoops us into her arms just in time. I yell in surprise as she leaps away from the point of impact, and Elita grunts as her back hits a wall.

"Woah!" Jack exclaims in shock.

Bumblebee beeps out a sentence, sounding very angry and agitated, and starts shooting his arm blasters at Brawl. Bulkhead and Arcee join in on the fray, but Brawl holds his arm in front of his head to protect himself, the blue lasers bouncing harmlessly off of his armor.

Elita stands back to her feet, stilling holding the four of us, and we watch as Brawl shoots another rocket. The Autobots all scatter as it slams into the ground, creating another massive explosion.

"Who the heck is this guy?" I ask incredulously.

"We've got to get to Charlie and Fowler!" Elita says. "Bulk, Bee, can you guys keep him busy?"

"No problem. This scrap-head is gonna get it!" Bulkhead says.

He turns his hands into maces, while Bumblebee beeps in agreement, raising his fists in a fighting stance. Brawl looks at us with a mocking laugh.

"You think you can take me Wrecker?" he scoffs. "That's cute."

"Arcee, with me! We're dropping the kids off and then heading to the brig!" Elita says firmly.

"Got it," she replies with a nod of confirmation.

"I wouldn't bother. Starscream may be useless in many things, but he knows how to cause pain!" Brawl taunts.

"I'll cause you some pain!" Bulkhead retorts.

He and Bumblebee then begin running over towards Brawl, who also charges at them eagerly. Brawl's left arm then morphs into a wicked looking gun, which he raises to fire.

I don't get to see the fighting start as Elita then transforms around us. I let out a startled yell of surprise as I'm moved quickly through various pieces of machinery, being deposited into the front seat of Elita's vehicle form. Jack is placed into the passenger seat, while Miko and Raf are put into the back. She begins to drive down the hallway at a quick speed, Arcee driving alongside of us in her motorcycle form.

"Aww! I wanted to see Bulk kicking that dude's butt!" Miko whines.

"What?!" Jack asks incredulously.

"Haven't you seen plenty of that already!?" I demand angrily.

"I have," Raf says meekly in reply.

"Come on, we won't be in danger! Bulk will totally-" Miko argues

"You're not seeing anything else today, and that's final!" Elita's voice cuts through the argument.

Miko pouts, crossing her arms while I sigh in angry exasperation, so fed up with her at this point. We remain mostly silent for the rest of the ride as Elita drives through the ship. She eventually comes to a stop after about a minute and opens the doors. The sigh for us to get out is clear, and once we do she and Arcee both transform.

"Stay back you four," Elita orders us.

She and Arcee then move forwards, each turning an arm into a blaster. They stand on either side of the large door and then give each other a nod. Moving forwards, they run into the bridge as the door opens, and all we can hear for a few moments is they sound of laser fire, before everything becomes silent. I bite my lip anxiously, but Arcee pokes her head out with a nod.

"Clear," she says.

The four of us move into the bridge, and I look around at all of the massive computers and monitors scattered around the room. At the far end is an entire wall covered in a video screen, a walkway leading up to it.

"Wait in here," Arcee says. "You're slowing us down, and easy targets. You'll be alright in here, as long as you stay put!"

She emphasizes the last bit before walking out. Elita glances back at us, narrowing her optics at Miko in clear warning before moving to follow Arcee.

"Alex, you're in charge," she states.

I blink in surprise, but the large door then closes, and we all breathe it a sigh of relief.

"That, was intense!" Miko comments.

"Oh really?" I ask sarcastically, whirling around to face her.

"It's your fault that we're stuck in this intensity. What were you thinking, Miko?" Jack demands.

"Did I ask you to follow me?" Miko asks.

"No one asked you to go charging through he ground bridge without any common sense!" I snap at her.

"You wanted us to be a band. Doesn't that usually mean to play together?" Jack points out angrily.

"Well, maybe I decided to go solo!" she retorts.

"Well, maybe we have some regard for your safety!" he states firmly, gesturing to me and him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's your name 'Optimus?'You can leave my protection to Bulkhead, thank you very much!" Miko replies snarkily.

"And what about when he can't protect you huh? You'll be dead!" I shout at her.

"Stop it! All of you!" Raf suddenly screams.

All of us go quiet, surprised at Raf screaming, and we watch with wide eyes as he runs off to sit on a ledge. Guilt and worry starts seeping into me, and the three of us move over to sit beside him.

"H-hey, Raf, Raf, it's it's ok," Jack says reassuringly.

"Yeah, we're gonna be fine. Our bots will come back for us. Yeah, they're gonna take us home," Miko adds.

"How do you know?" Raf asks bitterly.

"Because they came to get Charlie and Fowler," I point out. "And Charlie's been friends with them for a while."

Raf glances up with a hopeful expression, and I smile back down at him.

"Hey, Raf, what do you make of that?" Jack suddenly asks.

We look up to see one of the computer screens showing a bunch of symbols, all shifting around. Raf gets to his feet and moves forwards curiously, his thinking face on.

"It's important. Really important," he states.

* * *

 **Charlie POV...**

Starscream stomps towards Fowler, looking extremely irritated.

"Wake up you pathetic lump of flesh!" he exclaims.

"Hmm grandma? Is it cookie time?" Fowler asks, dazed, before falling back unconscious.

I withhold an exasperated sigh at his actions. For whatever reason, whenever Fowler gets knocked out he ocassionally spouts random crap or acts like a moron, something that embarrassed him to no end.

"He does that when unconscious. I wouldn't waste my time if I were you," I comment.

Starscream then turns to me with a glare. "Then I suppose that means you get the honor of-"

He stops as the door opens, and we look over to see a vehicon standing there silently.

"Well?" he demands.

The vehicon then falls to the ground face first, revealing Elita behind him. Despite the pain I was in, I smile happily at the sight of her, and she shoots down the remaining vehicon, aiming at Starscream. However, Starscream pulls out his own blaster and then aims it at me, and I freeze up nervously. I may be a highly trained agent, but this position is vastly different compared to being held at gunpoint by some common criminal.

"Not so fast," he warns Elita.

A blaster then taps his head, and he looks up to see Arcee positioned in a large tube above him, aiming at his head. I grin in amusement.

"Huh. That's neat," I remark.

"I wouldn't," Arcee says dangerously.

"Oh, but I might," Starscreams replies with a smirk. "Charlie Watson is very important to you Autobots, isn't she?"

Elita and Arcee both narrow their optics, and I glance around anxiously, looking at Fowler, and then at my wristband.

Maybe if I could get it open...

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

Bulkhead charges forwards and then swings his mace. Brawl leans away from it and retaliates with his own punch, but it's blocked by Bulkhead. Bumblebee then jumps up and kicks Brawl in the side, shoving him back.

Brawl skids to a stop with a growl, and stomps forwards. Bumblebee leaps towards him again, but Brawl delivers a fierce punch to his head that sends him tumbling against the wall. Bulkhead then sends a few more punches with his mace, but Brawl grabs his arm and then spins around, throwing the Wrecker against the wall. He pulls out his arm cannon and aims at Bulkhead, firing a rocket, but energon blasts force his arm off target.

Frustrated, Brawl turns to face Bumblebee as he runs forwards, and shoots another rocket at him. Bumblebee jumps over the rocket and then slams his fists down. He hits Brawl's raised arm, and then goes on the attack. Brawl attempts to punch him, but Bumblebee evades and then punches him twice in the chassis, delivering an upwards kick while flipping backwards.

Brawl stumbles away, and is then slamming against the wall by a punch from Bulkhead. He grunts in pain before spinning around to punch Bulkhead in the abdomen. Bulkhead grunts, and is then kicked heavily to the ground. Bumblebee comes in for another attack, but Brawl anticipates it by grabbing his legs and then throwing him against the ground.

"Frag off scum!" he growls.

He goes stomping over to Bumblebee, attempting to slam his foot down on his chassis. Bumblebee rolls away several times as his foot slams down, unable to get away. Frustrated, Brawl then reaches down and grabs Bumblebee by the head, lifting him up and then throwing him down the hallway. Bumblebee beeps in pain, looking up as Brawl starts running towards him.

"You're going down scrap-head!" Bulkhead shouts.

He then slams into the tanky Decepticon from behind, sending them over Bee and tumbling to the ground. They roll across each other, punching and shoving, before slamming against the wall, Brawl's back hitting first.

*:*:*

 **Alexandra POV...**

"We've got to get this to Optimus," Raf states firmly.

"How do you know it isn't just a recipe for space-nachos?" Miko asks.

I would be irritated with her saying a bunch of random bullcrap, but she does have a point. This is an alien language after all, and I highly doubt anyone of Earth could hope to understand it. Well, except for Raf.

"I know math when I see it. And that is one serious equation," he says confidently.

"Can you download it?" Jack asks.

"I've got a flash drive," he replies, setting his bag down and pulling it out. "But I don't see anywhere to plug it in. This tech is way alien."

"Yeah, I doubt an alien warship is going to have a USB port lying around," I remark.

*:*:*

 **Charlie POV...**

The staredown between Elita, Arcee, and Starscream continues, a smirk plastered across Starscream's face. He knows he holds all the cards with my fate literally held with him, thanks to the huge blaster pointed at me.

"Now, Agent Watson and I will take our leave," he declares smugly.

I grimace in concentration as I strain to press the button on my wristband, reaching out with my fingers and twisting my wrist as far as possible. If I could just get a shot at Starscream, then the others could use the distraction to move in.

"The emu said, yeah!" Fowler exclaims suddenly.

Starscream looks over at Fowler in disgust and bewilderment, and I finally manage to tap the button with my finger. I grin as the blaster forms in my hand, and manage to hold it so that it's aimed for Starscream, pulling the trigger.

The blue energon bolt strikes his arm, and he yelps in surprise and pain, looking at the scorch mark. Elita and Arcee waste no time in firing their blasters at Starscream, blue lasers streaming by. He ducks and evades with frightened yelps, somehow managing to avoid all of their shots.

Jumping up, he then transforms into his jet and points his thruster at Arcee, blasting off. She's blown from the ceiling with a grunt of pain as Starscream's thrust his her, and he soars quickly down the hallway and out of sight.

I sigh in relief, pressing the button to reform my wristband, looking up at Elita gratefully.

"Thanks for the save," I tell her.

"No problem," she replies with a grin. "Now let's get you and Fowler out of here."

"Wish we could've gotten Starscream," Arcee mutters dryly, but shrugs.

*:*:*

 **3rd person POV...**

Brawl grabs Bulkhead's mace and then swings him around, throwing him against the wall. Bulkhead grunts and looks up as he brings a short blade out of his arm. Brawl then stabs downwards, and Bulkhead holds out his hands, grabbing his arm before he could stab him. He attempts to shove his arm back, but Brawl just as determinedly keeps pressing harder.

"It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of gutting a Wrecker," Brawl comments.

"Well you're gonna have to wait a little longer!" Bulkhead retorts.

"Hardly," he scoffs.

"Some of your combaticon friends would beg to differ," he shoots back tauntingly.

Brawl's optics gleam with rage, and he growls furiously.

"Why you little-" he starts.

Bumblebee then races forwards and crashes into Brawl, shoving him off of Bulkhead and to he ground. Brawl grunts angrily and gets back up, swinging his arm. Bee dodges and delivers a swift uppercut, but Brawl retaliates by then grabbing both of his arms and head butting him. Bumblebee is knocked down to the ground, rolling away as Brawl moves forwards.

Bulkhead then jumps up and pulls out his blaster cannon. With a yell, he swings his arm forwards and then punches Brawl in the chest, while also shooting his cannon at the same time. The force behind the combined attack sends Brawl flying, tumbling across the hallway. He slams his fists into the ground and glares furiously at the two Autobots, pushing himself back to his feet.

 _"Bulkhead, Bumblebee, we have Charlie and Fowler. Meet us at the bridge so we can grab the kids and get out of here!"_ Elita says over the comlink.

Having gotten the message, Bulkhead and Bumblebee both transform and then start firing away, much to Brawl's confusion.

"What?" he exclaims, before widening his optics. "You're not getting away!"

He begins sprinting after them as fast as he could, transforming down into his massive tank mode. It's a little slow, but definitely faster than sprinting.

*:*:*

 **Alexandra POV...**

We were still looking around the massive computer, trying to figure out what to do in order to get the information. Just as the idea to take a picture came to mind, the door then opens, and a Decepticon walks inside.

"Get back!" I whisper to the others.

I grab Raf's arm while Jack grabs Miko, and we all sprint over towards the side of the room to hide behind a wall. Much to my surprise and alarm however, Raf suddenly turns back, and I watch him go incredulously.

"Raf!" I call out in alarm.

He picks up his backpack and zips it closed, slipping the straps back over his shoulders. Unfortunately, the vehicon takes notice and looks over, aiming a blaster at him. Raf gulps nervously, and the con opens fire.

I gasp in alarm as he attempts to run away from the Con. Sprinting out, me and Jack both tackle him to the ground and out of the way, while the Decepticon moves forwards, looking down at us.

"Miko, take a picture!" Jack shouts.

"Great idea!" Miko exclaims eagerly, pulling out her phone. "Hey, you!"

I watch incredulously as the Decepticon looks down at Miko, and she takes a picture of him with her phone. The Con pulls back, shocked and confused.

"Not of that you idiot! Of THAT!" I yell furiously, pointing at the screen.

"Oh. That would make a lot more sense," she remarks casually.

Thankfully, Miko takes a picture of the screen with all of the information. The vehicon then moves into action again after getting over his confusion.

"Come on!" I shout.

I run towards the exit while Miko follows after me, and Jack keeps a firm grip on Raf's hand as they both follow. The Decepticon calmly walks after us, firing his blaster. Lucky for us, he blows open the door barring our way, allowing us to run out into the hallway. Man, these guys suck!

The four of us instantly run outside and start moving down the hallway as fast as we could. Glancing back, I see the Con wall out slowly and looking over at us.

"Go! Go! Go!" Jack exclaims.

The Con aims his blaster to fire at us, but just then a loud honking from in front of us sounds. We look up as Bulkhead drives forwards, transforming and hen leaping over us to slam into the Decepticon. The others all come to a stop, Elita and Bumblebee opening their doors for us while Jack climbs onto Arcee.

"I told you to stay put!" Arcee shouts.

I climb into Elita while Miko and Raf get into Bumblebee. Sitting down in the passenger seat, the seatbelt then slides over me as the door closes, and she drives off quickly.

"You alright kid?"

I look over, briefly surprised to see Charlie in the driver's seat, looking over at me. She looks kind of battered, her uniform charred around the stomach area, her hair messed up.

"Am I ok? You're the one who was kidnapped!" I respond, that being all I could think of.

"Fair enough," she replies with a small chuckle.

"I like pie," Fowler suddenly says, crawling forwards in between the seats. "Can we stop for pie?"

He hen slumps over, and I gape at him incredulously before looking over at Charlie, who sighs in exasperation.

"He does that when knocked out," she states.

A loud explosion nearby makes Elita swerve, along with Bumblebee, Arcee and Bulkhead. Looking behind us, I spot a massive tank driving way too quickly to be possible, the turret aimed at us.

"Uh oh," I say anxiously.

"Slagging Brawl," Elita grumbles. "He's definitely upset with me."

"What'd you do?" I ask her.

"I'll explain later," she offers in reply. "Bulk, take care of it?"

 _"Got you covered!"_ he replies.

Outside, Bulkhead then transforms back into his robot form and skids along the ground for a moment, taking out what looks to be a grenade from his belt. He lobs it at Brawl before quickly transforming again, driving after us. Seeing the grenade, Brawl attempts to come to a stop, but the grenade blows up in a large explosion, and I don't see what happens next.

"Did he get him?" I ask hopefully.

"Doubt it. That Con is hard to kill," Elita replies.

"At least we're home free," Charlie sighs.

* * *

 ** _Cybertronian battlefield; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet we're finally clearing through all of the terracons, and Ironhide shoots the last one that attempts to jump on him.

"Bravo, Optimus," Megatron congratulates with a grin. "Though this is but a prelude. You may wish to save your strength for the main event."

Optimus looks up with narrowed optics and transforms his weapons back into his servos. He then starts climbing up the side of the cliff to Megatron, grunting while Ironhide follows after him.

"You will not prevail, Megatron. Not while energon still flows through my veins," Optimus states determinedly.

Upon reaching the top, he looks up as Megatron crouches low towards his face, smirking in amusement.

"Fitting, for is Dark Energon which flows through mine," he replies.

Optimus reaches out to grab him, but Megatron swiftly jumps into the air and transforms into his jet mode, blasting away. Pulling himself up, Optimus attempts to shoot him down with his blaster, but misses his shots. Optimus watches him go with grim optics as Ironhide makes it to the top. Ironhide then reaches down to help Ratchet up, the medic holding his broken arm.

The three of them then survey the battlefield, taking in the sight of all the destroyed terracons littering the place, horrified and grim. Ironhide bows his head for a moment in memory of his fallen comrades he fought beside, who died in the battle originally.

"If this wasn't Megatron's endgame... what is?" Ratchet asks uneasily.

Optimus doesn't answer, only dreading the possibility.

* * *

 ** _Autobots Outpost Omega One_**

 **Alexandra POV...**

All of us were back at the base, the Autobots and human agents recovering from the battles. Charlie was looking over Fowler, who was laying in a medical bed, to make sure he was ok, a bandage applied underneath her shirt as well. Optimus was helping to form a brace for Ratchet's broken arm, finishing it up in a decent amount of time. Miko looks over from Fowler to stare up at him and Ratchet.

"What happened to you guys anyway?" she asks.

"We engaged an army of undead Cybertronian warriors," Ratchet explains.

"Zombies? You fought zombies, and I missed it?" Miko exclaims in disbelief.

"Miko! Don't you dare push it!" I snap at her, and she actually flinches for once.

"Please take her advice. This isn't fun and games," Charlie says with a sigh. "Or else I actually will have to bring you into the authorities."

"Elita, Bulkhead, you both exercised extremely poor judgement in allowing the humans to accompany you," Optimus says in disapproval.

Bulkhead looks up nervously, and Elita nods her head with a guilty sigh. "I know Optimus. It was a mistake we overlooked when planning the mission."

"It won't happen again, Optimus," Bulkhead adds. "I promise."

"But it wasn't their fault!" Miko says.

"Miko, please!" Bulkhead hisses urgently.

"And check it out. Recon!" she adds.

Miko flips open her pink phone to display the picture of the screen we saw on the ship's bridge. Optimus leans down to take a closer look, humming thoughtfully.

"Ratchet, have a look. It could be of importance to Megatron," he says.

"Woah, Megatron's back? That's really bad news, right?" Jack asks uneasily, causing Miko to lower her phone momentarily.

"Buckethead is back and still as irritating as ever," Ironhide grumbles, from his position leaning against the wall.

Ratchet then leans down to also take a look, and Miko holds up the phone for him, although he seems confused. "I... don't understand."

Miko looks at the picture, and I also see that it's a photo of the Decepticon that chased us, and withhold a sigh.

"Oops," she comments.

"Long story short, the actual picture was some sort of mathematical equation or something on one of their computer screens," I tell Ratchet.

"Yeah. This is the 'Con who tried to blow Raf away," Miko says, before punching her fists with an eager grin. "At least that's what he looked like before Bulkhead rearranged his grill."

"Miko, Raf was almost killed! This isn't a game! When are you gonna get that through your thick skull?" Jack exclaims furiously.

"Seriously," I add with a glare, crossing my arms.

"Uh, we were all almost killed, Jack," Miko retorts. "You, me, Raf, Alex, even them!"

"Well, if this was just an average day with the Autobots, then I don't wanna be a part of it! Not anymore," he declares.

I glance at him, a little surprised but also understanding his point of view.

"Jack, putting you in harm's way was never our intent," Optimus tells him apologetically. "However, it is no longer the safety of you three that is at risk, but the safety of all human kind."

"Should I inform the Triskelion?" Charlie asks him.

"Not yet. At least not until we know more about Megatron's plans," Optimus decides, turning back to Jack. "Since the safety of human kind is now at risk, we will respect your decision if you wish to leave."

The ground bridge then opens thanks to Ratchet, who gestures to it casually.

"No point in long good-byes. Here's the door," he remarks, almost happily.

I blink at him, in bewilderment while Elita rolls her eyes, and Ironhide scoffs at him, muttering something under his breath about cranky old medics.

Jack looks at the ground bridge determinedly, and then turns around. "Come on, Raf."

Raf hesitates, looking over at Bumblebee, who is looking down sadly. The expression on his face really gets to me, and that's saying something because not many things do. Charlie also took notice, gazing over at him sympathetically.

"I'll be ok, Jack," Raf says, declining the offer. "See you at school."

"Sure thing," he replies reluctantly, turning to face me. "Alex?"

I glance around the room, considering for a moment. I know that this whole situation is chaotic, and a part of me definitely doesn't want to be involved. However at the same time, there are some reasons for me to stay here... plus I've made a good friend in Elita.

"I think I'm going to stay," I finally decide. "There needs to be at least one responsible kid here right?"

Jack smiles softly at me in understanding, before looking away. He starts to walk down the stairway, and then stops once Arcee steps in front of him.

"I know, you don't exist," he says.

"Don't make me hunt you down," Arcee replies with a small smile.

He then moves past her and walks into the bridge, and Arcee watches him go, the smile falling from her face. Elita steps forwards to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, and we all watch in silence as Jack disappears through the ground bridge.

* * *

 ** _The Nemesis; Earth_**

 **3rd person POV...**

"Please, Lord Megatron, I meant no-ARHG!"

Starscream stumbles backwards with a yell of pain as Megatron punches him. Megatron advances in him, furious.

"I ordered you to await my command!" he scowls.

He swings a fist, and Starscream is hit all he way across the bridge, tumbling on the ground. Soundwave and the Vehicons all turn to watch as Megatron stomps over to him, and Brawl scoffs in amusement, crossing his arms.

"Instead, your mindless agenda resulted in the disassembling of my ship! And the delay of my plans!" he shouts.

Starscream scrambles back on the ground, looking up at Megatron nervously.

"My intentions were pure, Master. I only wanted you to be rid of Optimus," he pleads.

Megatron then slams his massive foot down on Starscream's head, pressing him against the ground dangerously.

"No one rids me of Optimus Prime but me! Do you understand?! DO YOU?!" Megatron roars.

"Lord Megatron, I will make things right, I swear!" Starscream says desperately. "I know how to set your plans back on course!"

Megatron removes his foot, allowing Starscream a moment of relief, and then reaches down to grab him by the throat, lifting him up.

"Explain, Starscream. Quickly," he says, voice deadly calm.

* * *

 ** _Jasper, Nevada; Earth_**

 **Alexandra POV...**

I let out an exhausted sigh as I climb out of Elita, stepping onto the familiar concrete of my driveway. I look up at the house, suddenly feeling extremely hungry.

"You alright Alex?" Elita asks in concern.

"I'm fine. Just... really tired," I admit in reply.

"Well, you did have a tough day," she remarks. "Sorry about Jack."

"It's fine. He's just... stressed out. He really doesn't like things happening out of the norm," I reassure her. "He might come back, but who knows."

I then notice one of my neighbors, an old guy who almost always wears sunglasses, come walking by along the sidewalk. I remain quiet and wait for him to pass so that I don't seem like a weirdo for talking to a car, but he then stops beside me, giving me a smile.

"You know, it's always nice to have friends," he remarks, pointing a finger at me. "You shouldn't give up on this boy."

"Thanks..." I reply awkwardly

"Enough said," he says, shrugging his shoulders.

With a grin on his face, he continues to walk off, humming to himself. I watch him go awkwardly with my hands in my pockets, mouth set into a thin smile, before sighing once he's out of earshot.


	7. Ch 6 - Darkness Rising Pt 5

_**Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Charlie POV...**

While Ratchet works on figuring out the details of the intel that Miko managed to recover using her cell phone, I decided to watch over Agent Fowler and make sure his vitals remain fine. Luckily it seems the energon prod from Starscream didn't damage him very badly, he just needs time for his nervous system to recover. He's not in the same agency as me, but he is a good military agent, and he has his mind set on the right things.

"It can't be..."

At the sound of Ratchet's shocked murmuring, I look up.

"Optimus! These are engineering specs for a space-time vortex generator," Ratchet says.

"Megatron is building a Space Bridge. If he hasn't already," Optimus says grimly.

"Oh no..." I murmur to myself in worry.

"The sooner he leaves, the better!" Bulkhead exclaims eagerly.

Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Arcee were here as well, their charges still at home for the night. Elita opted to stay at Alexandra's house though, which is why she isn't currently here.

"It's not that simple Bulk. Space Bridge's run in two directions, remember?" Ironhide sighs.

Optimus turns around and nods in agreement. "Megatron may not be using it to leave Earth. But to bring through his conquering army."

"The main event Megatron referred to," Ratchet recalls.

"Where does he hope to find so many Cybertronian dead?" Ironhide asks with a confused frown. "The only place I can think of is..."

He then widens his optics in horrified realization and looks up at Optimus, who nods his head in confirmation.

"Precisely..." Optimus replies grimly, looking up at the ceiling. "Cybertron."

"Another alien invasion," I realize with subdued horror. "Something tells me this would be worse than the last one."

"Much worse, I'm afraid," he replies sadly, looking out at the Autobots. "We cannot allow Megatron to send Dark Energon through his Space Bridge. If we fail, the dead of Cybertron will rise. Swarm through its vortex and invade Earth. Bending humankind to Megatron's twisted rule."

I can see it in my mind. Armies of dead Cybertronian warriors rising from the surface of Cybertron and swarming through the massive Space Bridge portal. The image of them laying waste to massive cities, slaughtering countless civilians is something I can't even begin to fathom.

"I need to warn the Director. If you're unable to prevent Megatron from carrying out his plan, we'll have to be prepared," I inform them.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid your agency will not be able to withstand an assault like this, not even with their resources," Optimus says, shaking his head.

"Doesn't mean we shouldn't try," I say determinedly.

* * *

 _ **Jasper, Nevada - Earth**_

 **Alex POV...**

Me and Elita were currently on our way back to base. To pass the time as we drove through the desert, I was playing a game I downloaded onto my iPhone, not giving much thought to anything. Ironically enough, a thought then crosses my mind about something I remember being mentioned before by Ratchet, and I turn off my phone to ask about it.

"Elita?"

"Hm?"

"What's a Jedi?" I ask her curiously. "I heard Ratchet mention that when he was arguing about why he didn't want us there."

"Oh, that's true, he did," she replies with a thoughtful hum. "Well as to what a Jedi is, that's a long question to answer. I will say though that the person you humans refer to as 'Fulcrum,' is a Jedi."

"He is?" I ask in amazement.

"Yeah. He, and other Jedi like him, are native to the Andromeda galaxy," she adds.

"Woah," I murmur in surprise. "So Fulcrum's an alien?"

"Well he's still human like you, but I suppose he could be considered," she replies casually. "I'm good friends with him actually."

"Wait a minute, you're friends with a superhero?" I ask incredulously.

"I guess," she says, and I get the feeling she's shrugging. "Why is that so shocking? You're friends with an alien being."

I look out the window sheepishly upon realizing she's right.

"Yeah, good point," I admit, rubbing my neck. "So... what's he like?"

"He's... certainly quite the character," she chuckles fondly. "He's kind, noble, and _definitely_ witty. And he certainly leaves an impression if you ever get to meet him."

"Now I really want to meet him," I murmur with a sense of awe. "And not because he's handsome. I already hear plenty of girls at school 'awwing' and 'oohing' at that picture of him."

"Well from what I remember, a lot of the women in his galaxy felt the same way," she says jokingly. "Wait, Earth has pictures of him?"

"He's a superhero of course he's got pictures," I state, frowning for a moment. "Not all of them are great though, kind of blurry."

"Huh," she replies thoughtfully.

"Can you tell me more about him?" I ask, unable to help the giddy sense of eagerness.

When Fulcrum first came into the public view I was thirteen years old, and now some of that younger-me excitement is managing to make its way back.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Elita POV...**

Jarik Shan being a discussion topic wasn't something I really imagined when I first decided to become Alex's guardian. Still, it wasn't a bad thing to talk about.

Entering the base, I come to a stop in the center and release Alex's seatbelt, opening the door for her. She climbs out, and I transform immediately afterwards, noticing that the others and their charges are already here as well. Ratchet also seems to be heavy at work on his computer console, more so than usual, and everyone else seems tense and waiting.

 _"What's going on Optimus?"_

I ask him through our spark-bond.

In response he sends me a quick datafile, which I accept and download into my processor. Upon finding out what Megatron's plan with the dark energon is, I widen my optics in horror and look over at Optimus, who stares back with a grim expression.

 _"Where would he have even found the dark energon needed to do that?"_ I ask him.

 _"I don't know. What I do speculate is that retrieving the dark energon was the reason of his absence,"_ he theorizes.

"Optimus, I've pinpointed the location of Megatron's Space Bridge!" Ratchet calls out. "High in Earth's orbit."

I look over at the monitor and take a few steps forwards, frowning.

"Out of our reach," Optimus says, taking the words out of my mouth.

"Ok, so you guys don't fly, but can't you just ground-bridge there?" Miko suggests.

Alex shrugs in reluctant admittance of it not being a bad question. However, a Ground Bridge doesn't work like that, something they don't yet understand.

"The Ground Bridge has limited range!" Ratchet explains in exasperation. "Stretch all the way into orbit its vortex could snap! And scatter us to the stars."

"Well that doesn't sound fun," Alex comments.

"Since Megatron is likely already in transit, I'm afraid we must take that risk," Optimus says determinedly. "Reaching the Space Bridge first is our only means of stopping him."

A familiar horn then sounds down the tunnel, and we look over to see Arcee driving through, surprisingly with Jack as well. I raise an optic ridge, a hint of a smile coming onto my face as I realize that Arcee must've sought him out. And apparently they came to an agreement, maybe even a mutual friendship with each other.

"Hey, guess who's back!" Jack says proudly, stepping off with a smile.

"Autobots, prepare for departure," Optimus states.

Alex snorts in laughter upon seeing Jack's face fall to disappointment.

"Tough luck Darby," she teases him.

Arcee transforms back into her bipedal mode, looking at us inquisitively.

"Where to?" she asks.

"The final frontier," Miko says dramatically.

"Space? I thought they didn't have any way to get there!" Jack says in surprise.

"They don't, really," Raf replies.

Bumblebee carefully lowers Raf to the ground, and he steps off with a smile.

"Be seeing you?" Jack tells Arcee, who shrugs, a small grin on her face.

Arcee walks forwards, but I move to stand in her path, a smug grin plastered across my faceplates. She frowns in confusion for a moment and then widens her optics, groaning in annoyance and looking away.

"Well look at you little sister," I tease her.

"Don't even start Elita," she sighs.

"Why? I'm just congratulating you on forming a friendship with your charge. That's a big improvement!" I compliment her innocently.

"Your faceplates will need a big improvement if you don't shut your tailpipe," she threatens.

I raise my servos placatingly, smiling at her as she walks past. I then notice Alex walking up to me and look down at her curiously.

"Don't die alright?" she says in concern. "I'd hate to come up with some stupid story for my parents about how I crashed my car."

"I thought you weren't a fan of a pink car?" I joke in response.

A faint smile flickers across her lips. "Well, your pink is ok."

I smile back at her and then make my way towards the now activated Ground Bridge, standing between Optimus and Ironhide.

"Optimus, if you leave me stranded on a planet teaming with humans, I will never forgive you," Ratchet calls out.

"Better you than me Ratch," Ironhide teases.

"Until we meet again, old friend," Optimus replies, a hint of a smile on his face. "Autobots, roll out!"

We all transform down into our vehicular modes and then speed down into the Ground Bridge tunnel.

"Maximum overdrive!" he says.

Speeding up faster, we break through the other side of the portal as it opens, suddenly finding ourselves soaring through the emptiness of space.

"Autobots, transform... and gravitize!" he orders.

We follow along with his order and come in for a landing on the Space Bridge, locking ourselves onto the Bridge's gravitational force to stand up properly. Bulkhead however flails around clumsily a little bit, trying to gain a solid grip on the ground.

"Don't look down. Or up. Or left," he tells himself uneasily.

"If you keep that up I'll just throw you into space," Ironhide grumbles.

Bulkhead shuts his mouth.

Hearing a deep rumbling sound behind us, we turn around to see the Nemesis steadily approaching the Space Bridge, coming to a stop right in front of it.

"So Megatron's packing enough Dark Energon to raise Cybertron's dead?" Arcee asks.

"Apparently," I tell her.

"And since we don't possess ready means of disabling the Space Bridge, nothing gets in or out!" Optimus declares.

We all pull out our energon blasters and aim them at the Nemesis, ready and waiting for any Decepticons to shoot down. In Ironhide's case, he of course brings out his massive cannons.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Standing at the control console for the bridge, Megatron gazes at the display showing the Autobots standing on the Space Bridge, and chuckles in dark amusement.

"Optimus Prime never disappoints," he remarks, before turning around with a glare. "Unlike you, Starscream!"

Starscream backs up nervously for a moment, and Brawl chuckles mockingly off to the side, giving Starscream a judgemental look.

"Isn't that a shocker," he mocks.

Starscream growls irritably at Brawl, and then puts on a submissive expression as he speaks.

"No need for concern, Master. Soundwave is locking on to Cybertron's coordinates per my instructions," he reassures him.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

The rest of us are waiting back in the base, along with Agent Watson. For a little while now we've been expecting to hear some signs of action or battle, but it's remained silent. The silence is then finally broken by Arcee after a minute of nothing.

 _"Well, what are they waiting for?"_ she asks.

 _"It appears the Decepticons have sustained serious damage to their interstellar navigation system,"_ Optimus explains.

 _"Huh, that's my handiwork,"_ Bulkhead remarks.

 _"Really? Way to go Wrecker,"_ Ironhide compliments.

The sound of a metal thwack gives me the impression that Ironhide smacked Bulkhead on the back.

 _"Great job, Bulkhead,"_ Optimus also compliments. _"Without the dish, Megatron would be unable to aim the Space Bridge at Cybertron._

"Don't the Decepticons know where their own planet is?" Raf asks.

"Naturally," Ratchet scoffs, and I roll my eyes. "But Cybertron is many light years away. To reach their target, their aim must be astronomically precise."

"This doesn't make sense though," Charlie says with a frown. "Megatron wouldn't just bother rendezvousing with the Space Bridge if he couldn't operate it. He's got to have some way of using it."

 _"Charlie is correct,"_ Optimus says in agreement. _If Megatron went to the travel of rendezvousing with his Space Bridge, he must have an alternate targeting system. A remote one."_

"I'm no expert, but wouldn't that mean he'd be using some huge satellite on Earth somewhere?" I suggest.

"Yes, he would have to," Charlie confirms, brow creased in worry.

"From what I know of Earth's technology, I doubt there exists a single radio-telescope dish on this planet powerful enough to pinpoint Cybertron," Ratchet says in disagreement.

"What about a whole bunch of linked radio-telescope dishes? Like the giant sized array in Texas?" Raf suggests, pulling it up on his laptop.

Ratchet lunges forwards and starts furiously shushing him. "This is not child's play!"

"Hey Ratchet, back off a little. That array can see very far into space because of all of the different dish antenna's being linked," Charlie retorts.

 _"That's a good idea. I like it,"_ Elita adds, much to Ratchet's surprise.

 _"Ratchet, have Agent Fowler alert the array staff to the security hazard,"_ Optimus says.

We all look over at Fowler, who suddenly decides to pop out of bed, seemingly delirious.

"You, soldier! You're out of uniform! Put on some pants!" he exclaims.

He then collapses back onto the bed, completely out cold. We all stare at him weirdly for a moment, and Charlie just sighs in exasperation.

"I don't even know what kind of dreams he gets at night," I mutter to Jack, who shivers in agreement.

"That may be a challenge," Ratchet tells Optimus.

"I can do it. There's an agent stationed at the array that I can call," Charlie says.

She pulls out her phone and types in a number, raising it to her ear as she makes the call. After a few moments of silence however, she furrows her brow.

"Agent 17, this is Agent Watson. Please report in," she orders firmly. From the look on her face she must still be getting no answer. "Agent 17 report your status now!"

After a few more moments she pulls her phone away, looking at us in concern.

"They're not responding. Something's gone wrong," she says worriedly.

I share a surprised and worried glance with the others, and Raf instantly moves over to his laptop. He furiously begins typing in some code in an attempt to get through to the array, but slams his fist on the table in frustration.

"I can't get past the array's firewalls. They're too thick!" he explains.

"You actually think you could keep the Decepticons out?" Ratchet asks doubtfully.

"He fixed your monitors in like, two seconds. I'm sure he knows what he's doing," I retort in his defense, which gets Ratchet to shut up.

"Maybe, if I could get in," Raf says uncertainly.

"Get in?" I ask thoughtfully, smiling. "Hey Raf, you think you could do it if we got you all the way in?"

Jack's eyes light up and he nods eagerly, getting the same idea.

"Yeah! Like 'inside-the-building' in?"

Raf perks up hopefully. "I could log into their internal network on the other side of the firewall!"

"Uh, hello! You're planning a break-in with a government agent standing right there!" Miko hisses at us, gesturing to Charlie.

"In this case kiddo, I'll make an exception," Charlie says, much to our surprise. "I know my boss will understand. Besides, you probably need a guide to help get you through the building."

 _"The risk is too great Charlie,"_ Optimus says in disagreement. _"The Decepticons will be there. Perhaps even on sight."_

"Optimus, with all due respect you said it yourself, this is bigger than the safety of four humans," Jack says firmly.

"Yeah, if we let the 'Cons win, we're fragged, along with everyone else on our planet!" Miko adds in agreement.

"We can pull it off. All we need is to find a computer and then Raf can work his magic," I say confidently.

 _"Raf?"_ Optimus asks.

"I wanna give it a shot," he finally decides.

"Alright, lets do this!" I proclaim eagerly.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something," Starscream says.

Growling, Megatron whips around and then stomps up to Starscream's face with a deep scowl on his face. Starscream backs up nervously at the sight of Megatron being so irritated with him.

"Reeeaally, Starscream? Perhaps they're also waiting for Jarik Shan to arrive for an earthly meal!?" Megatron growls sarcastically.

Starscream gasps uneasily, and then offers a nervous chuckle, smiling up at him innocently. Megatron scoffs in disgust and turns away from Starscream, slamming his fist onto the console to contact the Vehicon fliers.

"Crush them!" he roars.

* * *

 _ **Space Bridge - Earth**_

 **Elita POV...**

Our wait seemingly pays off as the Decepticons strike first. We look over and watch as dozens of Vehicon fliers depart from the Nemesis and begin soaring directly at us. It looks like basically the entire armada is going on the attack.

"Here comes the welcoming committee," Bulkhead states.

"We're gonna be the ones welcoming _them_ ," Ironhide says, bringing out his cannons and bashing his fists together.

"Well, you're about to get plenty of it Hide," I reply, readying myself.

 _"Be careful will you OP?"_ I tell Optimus.

 _"You're asking me to be careful?"_ he rumbles in response, giving me a look.

I shrug innocently and offer him a small smile, before looking back at the Decepticon armada. They fly down at a fast pace in our direction, dozens of them opening fire. A heavy barrage of red colored energon blast assault our position, and we fire back with our own blasters.

Bumblebee, Arcee and I swiftly move to avoid being hit, while our resident 'tanks,' Bulkhead and Ironhide just stand there and let the blasts impact against their tough armor. Optimus does a little bit of both, shielding himself with his arm if necessary.

Spotting three Vehicons shooting in my direction, I tense up for a running start and then run right at them. Jumping up high, I switch my blasters for my wrist blades and then slash the first two apart, landing on the third. He swerves around violently, and I stab my blade directly into his armor, sending him crashing to the ground.

Arcee performs similar movements, while Bulkhead bashes one flier that foolishly gets to close with his mace. Optimus shoots at the fliers with one arm while cutting apart closer targets with a sword on his other arm.

"Come and get it decepticon punks!" Ironhide yells.

He aims his cannon and shoots several missiles, causing a large and closely clustered group of fliers to explode. He then jumps into the air and punches one down with a single blow.

* * *

 _ **Very Large Array, Texas - Earth**_

 **Alex POV...**

With Ratchet reluctantly convinced on the plan for Raf, he opens a Ground Bridge to the Texas Array, and we jump through, coming out on the other side in broad daylight. Once the portal closes however, I lean over with a groan as intense nausea overtakes me, giving me a massive, throbbing headache. Along with that, I also feel like throwing up.

Everyone else except Charlie seems to be experiencing the same issues, if the groaning and postures are anything to go by.

"That'll take some getting used to," Jack groans.

"You can say that again," I mumble.

"It passes by quickly, don't worry," Charlie reassures us. "Now let's move."

"Where exactly are we going?" I ask her.

"Some of the computers in the control station. I should be able to get us through without much of a problem," she says.

Following her lead, we make our way across the open field and towards one of the large buildings nearby, looking kind of like a warehouse. Then again, all of the buildings look the same. I can't help but take a few moments to gawk at the sheer size of the telescopes, just one of them being probably ten stories tall!

As we get closer to the entrance, Charlie holds a hand out for us to stop. She directs us to remain behind the corner for a moment, and observes the area with narrowed eyes.

"What's wrong?" Jack asks.

"It's too quiet here…" she murmurs.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Miko asks.

"Not in this case," she replies in concern.

Jack and I share a worried look with each other, before Charlie waves us forwards again.

"Let's keep moving. Be cautious you four, and stay within my sight, alright?" she says firmly.

"Crystal clear," I say with a nod, elbowing Miko when I notice her not paying attention.

"Ow!" she complains, before noticing Charlie's expression. "Oh yeah, of course!"

Charlie shakes her head with a sigh before leading us to the front door of the building. She pulls out some kind of security badge or whatever and swipes it across the scanner. There's a click, and the door opens, allowing us access inside.

If I thought it was quiet outside, then it's even creepier in here. Our footsteps echoing around to building are the only sound I can hear. I can see several areas where they should be people around, but like everything else, it's completely empty.

"Why is it so empty?" Raf asks uneasily.

"I don't know," Charlie replies tensely.

She then presses a button on her wristband, causing it to transform into some sort of gun, much to our surprise.

"Woah, that is awes-" Miko exclaims.

Charlie clamps a hand down on her mouth to shut her up, and then presses a warning finger to her lips.

"Be quiet!" she hisses sternly. "I don't have a good feeling about going to the main control room."

"Then where are we going to go?" I ask her.

I'm curious to know what could be wrong, aside from the obvious lack of people of course, but I'm perfectly fine with going along with the instincts of a highly trained government agent instead.

"We'll have to use a smaller office, away from the control room," she decides, looking to Raf. "Do you think you can tap into the telescopes from there?"

"I could do it from the base if the firewalls weren't so thick," Raf says with a smile.

Charlie nods, and then starts directing us in a different direction. We make our way to one of the smaller, less impressive hallways of the building, and then enter a small office when Charlie deems it safe. Once inside, she transforms her gun back into a wristband, and Raf quickly gets onto the computer. Miko enters the office last, looking out at the hallway with a smirk before closing the door.

"Security sure is lax on this place," she comments.

"It's not supposed to be," Charlie murmurs.

"I'm in," Raf says happily from the computer, before frowning in worry. "And so are the Decepticons."

"What?!" Jack asks incredulously.

"How can you tell?" Miko asks.

"Schematics. With the same alien math we saw on their ship," he explains, pulling out a flash drive. "But this time, I can download it. It's gotta be the Space Bridge. The Decepticons are syncing it to the dishes. But I can sync in to them."

"Will the Decepticons be aware of it?" Charlie questions.

"Even if the Decepticons see that I'm in the system, they have no idea I'm in the house," he reassures us.

Just then we see the diagram of what looks like three different spheres starting to shift, before selecting one sphere that blinks red. At the same time, I can hear the distant groan of all the telescopes moving their position.

"That doesn't sound good," I say cautiously.

"They're locking on," Charlie realizes grimly.

"Not for long," Raf replies with a grin.

He presses a few keys, and then the image switches, along with the telescopes outside. I grin upon realizing how heavily Raf, one little human child, is punking the Decepticons.

"Nice job Raf," I compliment, ruffling up his hair.

"If you weren't so young, you'd make for a good agent," Charlie remarks with a smile.

"Thanks guys," he mumbles sheepishly, face turning red.

* * *

 _ **Space Bridge - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

The Autobots continued the heavy battle against the Decepticons, shooting energon blast after energon blast, before halting momentarily as the entire structure moves once again. Bumblebee cheers excitedly, bringing a small smile to Optimus's faceplates underneath his battle mask.

"Indeed, Bumblebee. This can only be Raf's doing," he says in agreement.

On board the Nemesis however, Megatron is less than pleased, more on the verge of outrage as he glares at Starscream.

"Starscream! What is happening?" he demands angrily.

Starscream stutters nervously for a moment, before opening the commlink channel.

"Soundwave! What is happening?" he asks nervously.

* * *

 _ **Very Large Array, Texas - Earth**_

Contrary to Raf's belief, and much to Charlie's concern, the Decepticons actually were aware of what was going on, and how it was being done.

Crouched low in the main control room of the array station, with his tentacles connected to the computer console, was Soundwave. He instantly notices the unexpected change of the telescope array, and receives Starscream's panicked question moments later.

Detecting a nearby signal messing with the telescopes, he begins searching through the buildings security footage, coming across the sight of five humans sitting at a computer. The oldest human he recognizes as Charlie Watson, the human who assisted Bumblebee in defeating Dropkick and Shatter years ago.

Disconnecting one of his tentacles from the computer, he watches it scurry through the door and down the hallways, headed for the group of interfering humans. He then pushes back digitally, locking the telescope dishes back onto Cybertron.

Back inside the office, Raf notices the change and moves to correct it.

"The dishes are heading back towards Cybertron. I'll just undo that again," he says.

"What happens when the 'Cons realize they're being punked?" Jack asks.

"It's only virtual combat, you know, like online gaming," Raf says reassuringly.

"Yeah, Jack, what are the 'Cons gonna do? They're probably like a thousand miles away," Miko says dismissively.

"Don't you dare jinx it Miko," Alex sighs.

As they were talking though, the door opens quietly, allowing Soundwave's tentacle to slither through. None of the kids notice, but Charlie picks up on the sound and slowly looks over, widening her eyes in alarm.

"Watch out!" she yells.

Charlie dashes forwards and shoves Jack, Miko and Alex to the side just as the tentacle lunges forwards. She grabs onto it as it shoots by, but is then yanked along with it and shoved harshly against the wall.

"Oh mother-!" Miko shrieks in surprise.

As the tentacle kept Charlie shoved high against the wall, another part of it also jerked to the side to shove down Alex, Jack and Miko, who are thrown against the wall, also interrupting Miko's exclamation. Charlie grunts in exertion and quickly pulls out her Cybertronian blaster, jabbing it against the tentacle and firing. The tentacle shrieks in apparent pain and drops her.

Landing in a crouch, Charlie quickly moves forwards and begins firing her blaster at the tentacle's head, scoring several hits. It seemingly hisses and then lashes out at Charlie again, slamming into her stomach and sending her crashing against a bookshelf. She groans in pain as she smashes through the furniture and breaks the wood, her blaster skidding across the ground.

Alex lunges forwards next and tries grabbing onto the tentacle to force it down, Jack doing the same thing. However they're thrown aside easily by it, smacking against the wall with grunts of pain.

Raf continued to furiously type at the computer while the fight was happening, doing his best to ignore the chaos.

"I won't let them lock on again," he mutters to himself.

When the tentacle focuses on Raf however, hovering menacingly over his shoulder, Raf glances behind him fearfully upon realizing it was about to strike. Grabbing the flash drive, he hops up onto the desk as it smacks aside the chair, and then jumps off as it lunges at him, destroying the computer. He lands between Jack and Alex, with Charlie pulling herself up a few feet away.

Miko then joins into the fray, pulling an emergency axe off of the wall and then charging forwards. She jumps into the air with a shout as she attempts to chop the tentacle in half, but it moves out of the way. Miko is then slammed against the wall as well, dropping the axe onto the ground.

Everyone shakes their heads and look up, widening their eyes in horror as the tentacle picks the axe off of the ground.

"You handed it an axe?!" Jack screams.

"Not good," Raf says nervously.

"You had to jinx it didn't you?!" Alex exclaims in a mixture of fright and anger.

The tentacle raises its axe to strike at them just as Charlie reaches over and grasps her blaster. Before she could shoot the tentacle, it suddenly pulls back and out of the room with the axe, much to their surprise.

"What the-" Jack asks in shock.

"I don't care because we're not dead!" Alex breathes out, half laughing in shock and relief.

"Come on!" Charlie says.

She grimaces in pain for a moment and then gets to her feet, rushing out the door. The kids all glance at each other before following after her. The five humans reach the end of the hallway and enter the main control room, stopping at the sight that greets them.

Standing on top of the open roof is the looming form of Soundwave. Upon noticing their entrance, Soundwaves looks down at them, remaining silent. Miko quickly flips up her phone and snaps a picture, unable to help herself. In response, Soundwave takes a picture of his own, which appears on his face monitor.

It's a picture of all five of them looking up at him. Charlie is in the center, a fierce expression on her face as she holds her blaster. Jack and Alex flank her, looking alarmed, and Miko is behind Jack with an excited look on her face, while Raf is behind Alex, looking meek and nervous.

Soundwave then jumps into the air, transforming into his jet mode and blasting off back to the Nemesis. With the Decepticon gone, everyone breathes out a sigh of relief, and Charlie transformers her blaster back into her wristband.

"Why is he leaving?" Miko asks in confusion.

Noticing a sparking wire, Raf walks over to it and crouches down, seeing the axe stuck in the ground after cutting straight through it.

"He cut the hard-line. The dishes are locked on to Cybertron. For good," he explains grimly.

Everyone is silent at the horrific realization, as they now know the only thing stopping Megatron from bringing an undead army to ransack Earth are the seven Autobots still fighting on the Space Bridge.

"Who was that anyways?" Jack asks Charlie.

"Soundwave," she answers. "The Decepticons communications officer."

"So if he was in here, then where is… everybody else?" Alex trails off, not sure if she wants to know.

Charlie widens her eyes momentarily with a hint of horror before hardening her gaze, looking at the four kids.

"You four get back to base," she orders, raising a hand to her ear. "Ratchet, we need a Ground Bridge at my location."

Alex blinks in surprise before shrugging it off. Of course an agent would have an earpiece communicator thingy. A green portal then opens up in the room right next to them, making Miko jump in momentary surprise.

"You're not coming with us?" Raf asks.

"Later. I need to inform my superiors of what happened here, and... investigate how much damage Soundwave caused," she explains quietly.

Alex and Jack are old enough to understand the hidden message behind her words.

She needs to see how many people Soundwave killed.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"Now, Starscream?" Megatron asks

"Now," Starscream replies with a smirk.

He presses a button on the control console, and the massive Space Bridge hums to life. A bright glow of green and blue energy opens up, bubbling on the surface of the portal as it connects to the other side.

On top of the Nemesis, Megatron rises on a platform, getting the massive chunk of dark energon over his back, with a gleeful smirk on his face.

"At last!" he exclaims triumphantly.

With a shout, Megatron hurls the dark energon as hard as he can, sensing it hurtling through space.

Optimus cuts down an attacking vehicon and then looks up, widening his optics in alarm upon seeing the dark energon.

"Ironhide!" he calls out.

Together, Optimus and Ironhide both turn their weapons towards the chunk of dark energon and begin firing, attempting to destroy before it reaches the portal. However it was sailing through space too quickly for them to hit, passing through the portal and disappearing on the other side.

Helplessly, they watch it pass through the portal and out the other side, where Cybertron was just barely visible to them. The Autobots all gather around each other and watch as the dark energon shoots down to the surface of their wield like a meteor.

The dark energon crashes against Cybertron's surface with a massive purple explosion. Streams of sickly purple light slowly cover the entire surface of Cybertron, giving the tell-tale warning signs of the undead rising from its long slumber.

"Arise, my legion!" Megatron roars, now glowing purple as the dark energon takes affect.

"This is a nightmare," Elita murmurs sadly.

"So, how do we beat a whole planet of the undead?" Bulkhead asks.

 _"Optimus, I'm registering a rapidly expanding mass in their Space Bridge vortex,"_ Ratchet informs them. _"One with a peculiar energy signature."_

"Dark Energon," Optimus confirms grimly. "Ratchet, we must destroy the Space Bridge. There's enough live energon cursing through it to achieve detonation. But we lack the firepower to ignite it."

 _"If I knew how the Space Bridge was engineered, I might find a tactical way of accomplishing that feat,"_ Ratchet replies.

 _"Would schematics help?"_ they hear Raf ask.

There's silence for a few moments before Ratchet speaks again.

 _"Optimus, I must say the Space Bridge is our sole hope of ever returning to Cybertron. Are you certain it's destruction is the only option?"_

"I am afraid so," he responds grimly.

 _"Then by all means let us light our darkest hour,"_ Ratchet declares determinedly.

Optimus then looks over in the direction of the Nemesis, spotting Megatron flying straight towards them.

"Autobots, take your positions, and follow Ratchet's lead", he orders. "While I make my stand."

They nod in acceptance, and Elita gives him a concerned look before rushing off, leading the Autobots away. Optimus then turns around to face Megatron as he comes in for a landing. Transforming, the Decepticon leader lands on the Space Bridge with a heavy stomp, and smirks at Optimus.

"Your fellow Autobots are wise, Optimus. They know when to retreat," he remarks.

"I hold no illusions about engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail it's objective, by removing it's head," Optimus declares, whipping out his sword.

Megatron laughs in pure, mocking amusement.

"Highly unlikely, Optimus, as I am infused with their very might!" he states fiercely. "After I'm finished here with Earth, I might just pay Jarik Shan's people a visit! I'm curious to see how far he's come along since our last encounter."

Optimus narrows his optics coldly at Megatron, who smirks back at him, his purple optics gleaming with sickening delight. He knows how close of a friendship Jarik Shan has with Elita One, and is therefore using that to further taunt Optimus.

"You will never achieve your goals Megatron," he states determinedly.

"As if you can stop me Optimus," he retorts.

"One shall stand, one shall fall," Optimus declares.

The two opposing warriors state each other down for a few long seconds, narrowing their optics at each other. Then with a loud warcry, Megatron brings out his sword and charges at Optimus.

Optimus swiftly moves forwards to meet him head on. Megatron flips through the air and slashes his sword down on Optimus. The two exchange blows with each other, skillfully dueling with their swords, until Optimus gets the upperhand by hitting Megatron in the face.

Megatron is sending skidding backwards a good distance, jabbing his sword into the ground to stop himself. Optimus dashed forwards and brings his blade down heavily on him. Raising his blade in time, Megatron blocks his strike and pushes back with an angry glare on his face.

The two continue to battle it out with each other, while he sight of an entire planet-full of terracons slowly draws closer to the portal above them, echoing roars audible through the vortex.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

Agent Fowler was now wide awake again, albeit still a little loose in the head. He was watching a computer monitor showcasing the dark energon signatures growing more numerous.

"These things are getting closer," he says uneasily, looking at the others. "That's bad, right?"

"End-of-the-world bad. Yup," I confirm with a nod.

 _"Ratchet, we're in position,"_ Elita says.

"Elita, pay close attention," he replies.

On his screen was a schematic of the space bridge, which was showing some kind of lever thingy. I forgot what you call them.

* * *

 _ **Space Bridge - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Optimus stumbles backwards as Megatron bashes him in the face. He then reaches down to his abdomen with a pained groan as he's slashed there, and raises his sword.

Megatron lashes out with his sword, and cuts Optimus's blade in half like it was made of paper. The broken sword flips through the air and stabs itself into the floor far away. Bringing his arm back with a grin, Megatron then delivers a fierce uppercut, which sends Optimus flying into the air.

Optimus lingers there for a moment, time passing by slowly, before Megatron grabs him by the ankle and slams him against the ground, throwing him away.

Optimus groans in pain, his chassis sparking as he gets to his hands and knees. Megatron stalks up towards him triumphantly, raising his sword to deliver the killing blow, when he's interrupted.

 _"Master?"_

"Starscream, what is it?!" he snarls furiously.

 _"I do not wish to question your all-seeing wisdom, but I believe the Autobots are up to something again. Beneath your bridge this time,"_ he informs him.

"Ah, misdirection, Optimus!" Megatron chuckles. "You would have made a fine Decepticon!"

Megatron slams his sword downwards at Optimus's head, But the Autobot leader brings his damaged blade up just in time, blocking the strike and glaring at Megatron.

"I chose my side," he growls.

Shoving the swords aside, Optimus switches out his blade for his cannon,aiming it point-blank at Megatron. He fires a powerful shot, which blows Megatron away to float in the air with a scowl. The Decepticon leader swiftly evades a few more shots before transforming into his jet mode, blasting off in the direction of the other Autobots.

"Starscream, my army approaches. Rendezvous with the Space Bridge for pick-up," he orders through his comlink.

Back with the Autobots, Bulkhead and Ironhide remain on the lookout for any approaching Decepticons while the others focus on the engineering, listening to Ratchet's instructions.

 _"Now follow the line from the flow regulator to the energon pump. There should be a valve,"_ he tells them.

"I see it," Elita replies.

 _"Good. To turn all that power against itself, all you need to do is reverse the current,"_ he says.

Elita presses a button to bring up the valvue, the handlebars extending. Grabbing them with both hands, she grunts for a moment, and then turns the valve all the way around.

"Current reversed," she says.

 _"Yes! Right?"_ Fowler exclaims.

 _"I'll ready the Ground Bridge,"_ Ratchet says.

Ironhide continues to look around with narrowed optics, alarm filling him when he spots Megatron approaching.

"Buckethead is coming in hot!" he warns the others.

Ironhide begins firing his massive cannons at Megatron, and the rest of the 'Bots quickly follow his lead, unleashing their payload of blue energon blasts. Unfortumately, Megatron easily evades their blasts before turning towards them in a strafing run. With a yell, he unleashes a fast barrage of purple energon blasts at the Autobots. He misses most of them, most of his focus being on Elita.

One particular shot is sent directly at Elita's chest, and time seems to slow down before it hit, as she watches it go with wide optics. Just before being hit however, Arcee dashes forwards and shoves her out of the way. She cries out in pain as the blast slams into her, knocking her into the ground before she begins floating off lifelessly into space.

"Arcee!" Elita cries out in horror.

The Space Bridge then begins to come apart as the energon within begins to implode. Massive sections of the structure come apart, wild and erratic blue lines of energy surging out from the damaged areas. Optimus covers his face for a moment and then takes off at a sprint, running away from the pieces that are coming apart. Megatron completely disregards this as he flies back up to the center of the portal, transforming to gaze at his approaching army. Glancing behind him, he widens his optics in outrage upon seeing the Nemesis is nowhere to be found.

"Starscream, where is my ship?!" he roars.

 _"We would never make it, Lord Megatron. Don't be a fool! Take flight and retreat!"_ Starscream exclaims.

Back on the exploding Space Bridge portal, Optimus continues to outrun the destruction, heading towards the very edge of the structure when he receives a transmission from Ratchet.

 _"Optimus, the Ground Bridge is ready and waiting,"_ Ratchet reports.

"Autobots, jump!" Optimus exclaims.

He leaps off the side of the Space Bridge, allowing the gravitational pull coming from the other side of the Ground Bridge to pull him in. The rest of the Autobots quickly follow him, although Elita and bumblebee set their sights on Arcee. Bumblebee jumps off of a spiring rock in her direction and then catches Arcee, much to Elita's relief. Together, the team of Autobots fall safely through the Ground Bridge, which closes behind them.

Megatron remains hovering in front of the Space Bridge portal, disregarding all of the damage happening to it as he watches the terracons surging forth.

"My legion…" he murmurs, a small smile on his face.

A massive explosion from the portal above him gets Megatron's attention, and he widens his eyes in alarm, looking back at his army.

"No!" he growls determinedly.

Megatron moves closer to the portal and reaches his hand out. The terracon in front also reaches its arm out, trying to make contact with its master in a sense of desperation. The two are mere moments away from touching each others hands when the Space Bridge explodes.

The entire structure collapses in on itself and explodes in a massive burst of Space Bridge energy, blowing outwards like a miniature supernova. The blast wave reaches the back engines of the Nemesis as it moves further away, but doesn't do any damage.

Having watched the explosion from his position on the bridge, Starscream smirks to himself triumphantly, but covers it up, adopting an expression of sorrow as he addresses the ship.

"Decepticons! It is with deep sorrow, that I note for the log... Megatron's spark has been extinguished," he says, shaking his head to show a sense of sadness.

He then smirks gleefully as he looks back up. "All hail Starscream!"

Brawl scowls angrily, giving Starscream a mistrustful glare and glancing at Soundwave. The silent Decepticon doesn't give any indication to his thoughts, but they both know to keep a close eye on Starscream with him proclaiming himself the Decepticon leader now.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

The Ground Bridge tunnel has been open now for some time, but nobody has gotten through yet. I'm not afraid to admit that I'm worried for them, particularly Elita. Raf turns to Ratchet, a nervous look on his face.

"Do you think they're...?" he asks slowly.

Ratchet looks down at his arm, observing some sort of screen. "Six life signals. One very faint."

The statement has us all worried, and we watch the portal anxiously. Eventually though, a large shape appears out of the portal, revealing Optimus Prime standing there in all of his glory, standing in a pretty heroic pose. Ironhide lumbers through next, his cannons going away as he stands beside Optimus. The two move out of the way to allow room for the rest to exit as well. Miko grins happily when Bulkhead walks through, appearing unharmed.

"Bulkhead!" she exclaims.

She runs down the stairs to Bulkhead, who crouches down and quietly offers her a hand so she could hug it. Jack, Raf and I look up when our guardians enter the base next, worry and concern filling us. Bumblebee is carrying a limp and lifeless Arcee in his arms, Elita standing right beside him and look down worriedly. Jack takes a few steps forwards, his eyes growing watery, and I lay a supportive arm on his shoulder, looking at him sympathetically. Miko and Raf do the same, and the Ground Bridge closes.

"We lost one this week, by the Allspark, don't let it be two," Ratchet says anxiously.

Jack takes a few steps forwards and lightly touches Arcee's hand, which manages to spur some motion from her as she opens her optics to gaze down at him.

"Arcee..." he says quietly.

"Jack, really? There are other motorcycles in the world," she murmurs.

"But you're my first," he replies with a smile.

Bumblebee and Elita both help Arcee to stand on her feet, and she seems to be recovering smiling down at Jack. I look over at Elita with a big smile, and she nods back a me, a grin on her face as well.

"And Megatron?" Ratchet asks.

"I don't think even Buckethead could've survived that," Ironhide comments with a smirk.

"Prime!" Fowler suddenly exclaims, and we look over as he steps into the elevator. "I didn't get to thank you 'Bots, for the save. I owe you one. We all do."

The elevator doors closes in front of him, leaving us in silence as we take in the fact that we just saved the Earth from a freaking alien invasion! Miko then scurries over towards Optimus, getting out attention.

"So is this the part where you say good-bye and and tell us we need to forget we ever saw you?" she asks warily.

I look up at Elita with a frown. "Yeah, I don't now if I'm ready to say adios to a new friend just yet."

Elita chuckles good-naturedly in response, and gives Optimus a pointed look. Ironhide scoffs in apparent dismissal, though I could tell there was a hint of a smile on his face.

"As long as you don't bring any rodents here," he grumbles.

* * *

 _ **Jasper, Nevada - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

 _'Without of means of leaving this world we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with our four young friends.'_

Miko was sitting on the steps of the school building, waving excitedly to Raf as she spots him approaching. The door behind them opens up, allowing Jack and Alex to walk out of the building. Miko stands up and offers her an exaggerated fist bump. Alex hesitates with narrowed eyes before sighing, returning it softly.

 _'Much like the legendary Jarik Shan, an ally of my sparkmate, they have shown they are true warriors. If not in body then, in spirit.'_

The four kids look over at the parking lot, where Elita, Bumblebee, Bulkhead, and Arcee were all parked. The Autobots open their doors and flash their lights in greeting, and they eagerly rush for their respective guardian.

 _'My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message: though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem that we are here to stay.'_

Elita, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead all drive down the road through the middle of the desert at a fast speed, heading to their charge's houses with the orange sunset gleaming in the sky.

 _'If you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this: we will defend ourselves. We will defend humanity. We will defend our home.'_

* * *

 _ **Autobots Outpost Omega One**_

 **Charlie POV…**

With the other Autobots having taken Alex, Jack, Raf and Miko to their homes, Optimus, Ironhide and Ratchet were the only ones currently in the base. I was gearing myself up to leave as well, while the other three were mingling with each other.

"Good look on your report Charlie," Optimus says.

"Well thanks to you guys, it'll definitely be a good one," I reply with a smile.

In a very rare moment, Optimus smiles back at me. However the warm moment is interrupted when a familiar voice speaks up.

"'We will defend our home,'" the voice recites.

I whip around cautiously at the sound of the voice, widening my eyes in surprise upon recognizing it. The Autobots also look over, Ironhide pulling out his cannon defensively.

The man wearing a black trench coat and standing right in front of the monitors—looking up at them—continues to speak again.

"Quite the declaration from someone who isn't from Earth," he comments. "But it's good to know there are others I can rely on to defend our planet."

"Who the frag are you human?" Ironhide demands.

I grimace at his tone, already knowing who it is. And apparently Optimus understands it as well.

"Easy," he murmurs, raising a placating servo.

The person turns around and takes a few steps forwards into the light, revealing an African-American man with no hair, wearing an eye patch across one eye.

"Nick Fury. Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."

Ironhide blinks his optics in surprise, lowering his weapon and putting it away. Ratchet is just as stunned, but more so confused.

"Huh," Ironhide remarks.

"I'm surprised to see you here sir," I admit, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I make it a point to have meetings on my own terms Charlie," Fury replies.

"To what do we owe the pleasure Director Fury?" Optimus asks politely.

"I'm here to talk to you all about the Avengers Initiative," Fury tells him. "See if you're interested in joining."

I raise an eyebrow in surprise, not expecting such a bold move like that from Fury. The Autobots all glance at each other questioningly, considering what to say.

* * *

 _So, Darkness Rising is completed! I'm not sure how my uploading schedule for this story will be. But since the MCU being a part of the Shaniverse is now revealed in LOJS, nothing's holding me back from continuing the story. Still, life is only getting tougher for me, since I am now starting a job very soon, which will take several hours out of my day. But I'll make it work!_

 _And yes, Charlie Watson is an agent of SHIELD. For her place in the hierarchy I'm not sure yet, but I'm thinking maybe about Phil Coulson's level (Level 8, Nick Fury was 10, Black Widow was 6), or a level below it at 7 instead. I guess you guys can offer suggestions on that, but I'm currently leaning towards a Level 7/8._

 _Also, how about that Nick Fury scene?_


	8. Ch 7 - Superheroes!

_**S.H.I.E.L.D. Base - Nevada**_

 **Charlie POV…**

"Considering this was your first ever meeting with the Autobots, I'd say you handled the situation pretty well sir," I remark.

Me and Director Fury we're walking down the hallway of one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s bases, heading towards a private office. Since he came to the Autobot base in his own helicopter I decided to leave with him, since I was due to report in anyways.

"It takes a lot to faze me Watson," he replies firmly.

"I'm well aware sir," I say knowingly. "I'm not surprised that they declined joining the Initiative though."

"I hoped that they would," he admits. "They could've been a huge asset to the team."

"They have good reasons though. They want to focus more on the Decepticons to make sure they don't cause more trouble, and Optimus doesn't want to be pressured into sharing their technology," I reassure him. "Believe me, they have no problem with helping us. They just feel they shouldn't get involved in human conflicts, and they don't want to frighten civilians. We haven't had the best experience with aliens before."

"I understand loud and clear Watson," he says with a nod. "But what about when we have to deal with threats beyond our atmosphere? That's what the Initiative is about."

We arrive at a door, and Fury scans a keycard to open it. Walking inside, he sits down at his desk and I sit in the chair across from him.

"I know sir," I reply in understanding. "But there are others to choose from I'm sure. Who are the candidates so far?"

Fury pulls a folder out from his desk and then lays it down on the desk in front of me. I reach out to pull it closer and then open it, giving it a lookover.

"Tony Stark… Fulcrum… Thor…" I murmur to myself, before looking up at him in surprise. "Captain America?"

"We dug him out of the ice where the plane crashed down, and miraculously he was still alive, just frozen. He woke up just a few days ago. I was in New York when I learned about the who deal with the Decepticons," he explains.

He then leans forwards and clasps his hands together on the desk, looking at me intently with his one eye. He's in his serious, no-nonsense mode right now. Well… even more so than he usually is.

"So Watson, give me a rundown of what just occurred," he says.

I pause to take a breath for a moment, and then start giving my report.

"Well as I'm sure you know, the Decepticons made a swift return this past week. Unfortunately they killed one of the Autobots, Cliffjumper."

When I learned about Cliffjumper's death, I was shocked. Because of my profession at S.H.I.E.L.D. I never really showed my feelings about it. But inside, I was devasted to realize that one of the 'Bots was killed. He was a very good warrior, and beyond that, had a fun, happy personality.

"After that, Megatron returned to his forces," I inform him.

"The leader of the Decepticons?" he asks.

"Yes sir," I confirm with a nod. "He brought some form of energon known as 'dark energon,' which was capable of reviving dead Cybertronians. According to Optimus, he reanimated an army of Cybertronians that fought a battle on Earth millennia ago."

"There's a battle site filled with Cybertronian remains?" Fury asks in surprise, and I nod my head. "Why do we not know about this?!"

"I'm not sure where it happened, but it was a very remote location," I explain.

"I don't like this," he says with a deep frown. "We need to find that battle site. If someone else finds that large amount of Cybertronian technology, we'll have a serious problem on our hands."

"I'll ask them about that," I reassure him.

"Please do," he states firmly. "So, what's this I picked up about you infiltrating the Texas telescope array yesterday?"

I grimace for a moment, knowing that was going to come up, but still adopt a stern look and gaze at him without any nervousness.

"The Decepticons were using the array to target their Space Bride at Cybertron. Megatron was planning to use the dark energon to summon an army to conquer Earth," I explain calmly. "I went to the array to try and prevent that."

"Then why not call it in? Agent 17 is on site," he replies with a frown.

"Was," I correct, and he narrows his eye at me. "The Decepticon known as Soundwave was there. He killed all of the staff present."

Fury remains silent for a moment, his face unreadable, before he sighs in frustration. I raise a disbelieving eyebrow at him.

"You didn't know?" I ask in surprise.

Usually Fury knows anything the moment it happens. The fact that he knew about me infiltrating the array, yet not what happened to the scientists and agents there is baffling.

"No! Why am I not learning about these things?" he demands angrily. "Something is screwing with my intelligence."

"I guess it could've been Soundwave's meddling," I theorize slowly. "He must've covered it up. By the time I arrived there must've been no reason for him to mess around with the surveillance."

Fury glares at the table for a moment, and then looks up at me.

"So Soundwave is a hacker," he states.

"The best there is. Even on Cybertron he was considered to be far beyond the best professionals," I explain.

Fury runs his forehead, looking a lot more troubled than I've seen him before.

"If he's good enough to hack into our network to cover his tracks, then our entire database is at risk," he says uneasily.

"Maybe, but I don't think Soundwave would be focused on us, at least right now. They're more focused on the Autobots," I tell him.

"I hope your right Watson," he sighs, looking at me. "So the Space Bridge. Our satellites picked up on a massive energy surge in orbit, but we couldn't find any sign of it."

"Thankfully, we won't ever see it," I tell him in relief. "Megatron managed to activate it and gain his army, but before they could come through the Space Bridge, the Autobots blew it up, this destroying the undead army and Megatron himself."

"That's good to hear then. But what of the Decepticons?"

"Still at large," I admit. "But with Starscream in command, they won't be a world-level threat anytime soon. He's dangerous, but way too arrogant for his own good. The Autobots can handle him on their own."

He nods in satisfaction. "Job well done Agent Watson."

"Thank you sir," I reply with a smile.

"Now, I know you just came off of a difficult mission, but I have another assignment for you," he tells me.

I frown in confusion. "What sort of assignment?"

"I'm having you transferred to the Joint Dark Energy Mission Facility until further notice. We've been working on the Tesseract for a while now, but it's been spiking a bit," he informs me. "Due to your experience with alien technology thanks to working alongside the Autobots, I'm hoping you can offer some insight into the work."

"I may know about some things, but I'm not an expert on how it works, sir," I tell him. "I'd recommend seeking the input of Ratchet, the Autobots medic and resident technician."

"We thought it might be Cybertronian at first, but the energy readings from the Tesseract are different than the substance they use to power themselves," he replies. "As such, the there's no real need for information from the Autobots."

"Are you sure? The Autobots might even know how the Tesseract works. It's still an alien power source," I try to reason.

"Nevertheless, the World Security Council doesn't want to involve outside parties," he states firmly. "Especially after Fulcrum made the request for it."

"That's stupid," I sigh in exasperation. "Fulcrum seems to know what it is. From what you said he wasn't happy about the decision, and something tells me you aren't fully onboard with this either."

"I'm not supposed to have an opinion on this matter, I just do what we need to keep the world secure," he says firmly, although I notice a flicker in his eye. "Besides, you know what the Council is like."

I allow a small smile to flirt across my lips. "True enough."

"I'm expecting you to report in for this assignment in six hours," he orders. "Agent Coulson and Agent Barton are already en route."

Standing up from my chair, I give him a respectful nod of understanding and make my way to the door, opening it and stepping out.

"One last thing Watson," he calls out.

I halt halfway through the door to look back at him, and he gets up from his seat.

"Mind explaining to me why four kids helped you infiltrate the array?" he demands.

I freeze momentarily, biting my lower lip in unease as I decide how to answer.

"They were accidentally involved during an ambush by Decepticons," I admit slowly. "The Autobots are protecting them in case they become targets."

"So they brought civilians into the mess?" Fury asks, a dangerous look on his face.

"It wasn't intentional sir, but they did prove helpful against the Decepticons," I reply carefully. "And if I'm being honest… I think they can a real positive influence for the Autobots, and help them better understand Earth. They've already formed close friendships with them."

Fury remains silent for a long while, keeping his eye narrowed at me while I stand in the doorway, anxiously awaiting his answer.

"I can count the number of people I trust on just one hand Watson," he states slowly, glaring. "So you better be right about this."

I sigh in relief and give him a small smile of gratitude.

"Thank you sir," I say gratefully.

* * *

 _ **One week later…**_

* * *

MSNBC: _"...reports of what we now know is confirmed to be an extra-terrestrial attack..."_

ABC: _"...the worst attack since the devastation of the Black Zero Event..."_

Fox News: _"...the extraordinary acts of the heroic group known as the Avengers..."_

 _"I love you Thor!"_

 _"...and then this big green guy walks up and goes like, RAAHH..."_

CNN: _"...where did the Avengers come from? Are they heroes, or something else..."_

Senator Boynton: _"These so called heroes have to be held responsible for the destruction done to the city. This was their fight. Where are they now?"_

USA Today: _"...President Ellis addresses the nation today, following the events of the Incident..."_

WHIH: _"An official report shows the Avengers listing includes nine different heroes, such as Tony Stark's Iron Man, Captain Steve Rogers, Fulcrum, the Norse god Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Squirrel Girl, the Hulk, and Wonder Woman..."_

Daily Planet: _"New superheroes to step up with Superman gone?"_

 _"Superheroes in New York? Give me a break."_

BBC: _"...the Avenger known as Fulcrum, who was present in the attacks on Metropolis and San Francisco, has revealed that he's actually from another planet himself..."_

CBS: _"...real name is Jarik Shan..."_

 _"What? That this was somehow their fault? Captain America saved my life. Wherever he is, wherever any of them are, I just wanna say thank you."_

The Daily Bugle: _"These so-called Avengers are a menace to our society! It's very likely that they orchestrated this attack in order to become famous!"_

*:*:*

 _I was there in New York when it happened! So glad the Avengers were there for us! #avengers #theincident_

 _There's no way these guys are legit. I don't trust them! #avengers #nottrustworthy_

 _Hope people don't screw up like they did with Superman. They're heroes! #avengers #theincident #superman_

 _Anybody a little weirded out to learn that Norse mythology is actually real?! #avengers #thor_

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV…**

"Oh my fragging gosh, this is SO COOL!" Miko screams.

Several of us flinch away from the shrill sound of Miko's yelling, but she doesn't stop there. Honestly, why would she?

"There's a team of superheroes now! Did you see them on the TV? They were all like bam, pow, boom!" she shouts eagerly, punching and kicking the air for emphasis. "They kicked some alien butt, and then Iron Man blew them all to scrap with a fragging nuke! A NUKE!"

"Ok we get it Miko, geez!" I shout down at her in annoyance.

I was currently sitting up on Elita's shoulder while Miko had her excited freakout down on the catwalk. Raf was sitting on Bumblebee's shoulder as well, which meant Jack was suffering the most from Miko's excitement.

"What? That was completely awesome to watch!" Miko exclaims. "I wish I could've been there to see it!"

"H-how is that awesome?" Jack stammers incredulously. "That's the second time aliens invaded a city! People died in that!"

"Yeah Miko, seriously. Think before you say something stupid!" I say with an irritated sigh.

"Why weren't you guys there?" Raf asks he 'Bots curiously.

Bumblebee explains it to him with several beeps, so I look to Elita for a translation.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want us to be there since we declined the offer of joining the Avengers," she explains.

We all look at her in surprise, Miko gaping with her mouth open wide.

"Woah! They asked if you wanted to join the Avengers?" Raf asks in awe.

"Apparently Charlie's boss came in after we defeated Megatron," Arcee explains. "We were taking you kids home."

"I almost blasted him," Ironhide grumbles.

Ratchet scoffs. "As if we'd be better off helping that team of Earth heroes. It'd just be more rules for us to follow, so no thank you."

"DUDE! Why wouldn't you join?!" Miko screams in disbelief. "It's the Avengers! Right Bulkhead?!"

"Huh? Oh, uhhh…" Bulkhead says nervously, unsure of how to respond.

"Well, we are supposed to be a secret group Miko," Jack points out.

"The reason is much more complicated, but I guess that's part of it," Elita shrugs.

I hurriedly to grasp onto her armor plating as the movement almost dislodges me, and give her a small glare.

"Sorry kid," she apologizes with a sheepish smile.

"Ugh! I can't believe none of you would want to join the Avengers. I'd give anything to even meet just one of them!" Miko groans.

"Well, I'm already happy just being on Team Prime," Raf says sheepishly, and Bumblebee beeps at him happily.

"I suppose I could make an arrangement to meet one of them," Elita casually remarks.

"Oh right. Jarik Shan," Ironhide says, like he's recalling something. "Funny how he seems to follow you around."

"You're friends with one of the Avengers?!" Miko asks with wide eyes.

"Yeah," she replies.

"Dude! You have to get him over here!" she squeals eagerly.

"Well, I actually kind of lied about arranging something. I haven't spoken to him in a while," Elita admits, and Arcee rolls her optics. "Besides, he's a busy man."

"Oh come on!" Miko complains.

"Miko, you're literally standing in front of a team of alien robots. I think you'll live if you don't meet one of the Avengers," Jack sighs.

"You're so lame!" she retorts.

"I could care less," Ratchet grumbles, and Elita rolls her optics. "Unlike the rest of Earth, who seems focused only on the Avengers. It's not like we saved the planet too you know!"

"Aw toughen up Ratch," Ironhide retorts in amusement. "I'm surprised you're so interested in being recognized by the humans."

"Wh- well- I-I don't!" he stutters furiously. "I'd just prefer to be recognized for the work that I do, that's all!"

"By humans," Elita teases with a grin.

Ratchet groans in frustration, turning back to his monitor and muttering irritably to himself.

"What's the deal with everyone talking about them anyways?" Arcee asks.

"Because they're superheroes," I tell her. "They all have different powers and stuff, and they saved the world from an alien invasion. Add that to the fact they're essentially celebrities now too."

"Because superheroes are awesome!" Miko exclaims.

"People are going to be talking about them for a long time," Raf explains. "It's just how things work. Whenever something important comes up, it gets discussed by the media and other people a lot."

"Not to mention in school too," Jack adds with a sigh.

"Oh gosh, that's gonna be the worst," I groan. "It was already bad enough that all of the girls kept fawning over Tony Stark and Fulcrum."

"Human culture is weird," Bulkhead comments.

"You can say that again," Ratchet says in agreement.

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Miko exclaims.

"Well, they aren't completely wrong," I comment.

Miko frowns irritably before shrugging thoughtfully. "Yeah, I guess so. There are some very weird people out there."

"So, what's… Optimus been doing?" Jack asks.

"He's been discussing a few things with Fowler about the Chitauri," Arcee explains.

As if on cue, an engine rumbling can be heard from down the tunnel, and Optimus drives through. He comes to a stop inside the base and then transforms into his bipedal mode.

"How'd it go?" Ratchet asks.

"Just fine Ratchet. Agent Fowler asked for me to provide information about the Chitauri, as he and his superiors felt that we may know more about them, being from off-world ourselves," he explains.

"A bunch of disgusting lizards is what those creeps are," Ironhide grumbles.

"Those aliens are called Chitauri?" Raf asks curiously.

"Yes," Optimus confirms. "They are a violent race of creatures that come into conflict with many of the planets they come across."

"Well that sounds fun," I say dryly.

"Strange how an Asgardian managed to lead an army of them," Ratchet remarks.

"I'm more concerned about who could've given Loki command of the Chitauri," Optimus replies with a frown.

"Big whoop! Doesn't matter now because they got stomped by the Avengers!" Miko exclaims.

"Oh here we go," Jack groans.

"She's never gonna stop is she?" Elita asks me quietly.

"No she will not," I reply with a sigh.

"Hey boss bot! You ever smashed a one of those flying whales before?!"

Just like I predicted, Miko continues to talk and shot excitedly about the Avengers, pestering the bots about why they didn't join them, and being very vocal in how much she wanted to meet them. Even Optimus seemed a little exasperated at times, which is saying something.

* * *

 _Hey guys, exciting chapter I'm sure right? Definitely a few things that provide a lot of insight into what the Avengers are like in the Shaniverse. As I'm sure you noticed there are also mentions to a few added characters (besides Jarik of course) that aren't in the official MCU canon._

 _If you're worried about there being too much for me to handle, then don't be! I already have a general storyline for the MCU planned out in my head, so everything will play out realistically and enjoyably. When crossing over different things, it's very important to me that I make sure not to overextend myself, and I don't commit to a crossover unless I know for a fact that I can write it in well._

 _(P.S. those added characters are the only ones I'm adding to the list of Avengers anyways)_

 _Also for clarification, the Avengers as a whole are not going to make an appearance in this story at this moment in time. While I may include cameo appearances from one or two in the future, only Jarik will have fully-fledged interactions with Team Prime, as this_ ISN'T _an Avengers story. It's a Transformers Prime story._


	9. Ch 8 - Masters and Students

_**The Nemesis - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Video footage of the Space Bridge exploding plays on the screen of the console that Starscream stood at on the helm of the bridge. He smirks in satisfaction, knowing that Megatron was right in the center of that explosion, and thus has perished.

"Such a shame. But I applaud you, Megatron. You certainly made a grand exit," he says mockingly.

Footsteps from behind Starscream get his attention, and he turns around to see Soundwave approaching, with Brawl a couple of paces behind him.

"Ah, Soundwave. Cue the audio/visual. I wish to address the troops," he orders.

Soundwave gives him a very subtle nod, while Brawl just crosses his arms with a scoff. Starscream glares at him, but turns to face the screen as the camera's begin rolling. Vehicons at their workstations pause in surprise as Starscream's face overtakes their monitors.

"The loss of Megatron, leader of the great Decepticon uprising, is certainly a blow to our cause," Starscream states grimly. "Yet we mustn't despair over his, tragic demise, but instead embrace his ultimate sacrifice and build upon the foundation he laid with an even mightier hand!"

"With all due respect, Commander Star- Uh, lord Starscream," a Vehicon below the bridge asks, raising a hand.

Starscream turns around in annoyance at the interruption, but still permits the drone to answer. Mainly because he's happy enough about Megatron's demise to allow it.

"Yes, yes. What is it?" he demands.

"If we failed to conquer earth under lord Megatron's command, what hope do we have now while the Autobots still defend it?" he asks.

"Humph. With this leadership, that'll be zero," Brawl murmurs to himself, giving Starscream a doubtful look.

"Allow me to be crystal clear," Starscream says with an irritated growl. "I studied for millennia under our former master. Thus, I am equipped to lead you. I, Megatron's true heir, lord Starscream, emperor of destruction!"

Despite his declaration, all of the Vehicons still murmur to each other doubtfully, causing Brawl to chuckle to himself.

"Wha-?" Starscream comments in bewilderment, scowling angrily and storming away. "What use are troops who can't rise to the task of inflicting unspeakable destruction in my name?"

"Who said you knew how to cause said destruction, lord Starscream?" Brawl asks sarcastically. "I highly doubt you can conquer this planet when lord Megatron couldn't."

"If you dare speak that way to your leader again Brawl, I'll have you sent to the scrap heap!" Starscream growls furiously, jabbing a finger at him.

Brawl just rolls his optics carelessly in response, his arms still crossed. Soundwave watches silently while Starscream paces back and forth.

"Megatron failed because of his own arrogance in his plan, so I will not do the same," he states, giving Brawl another glare. "As of right now, we are the greatest force in this galaxy! Conquering Earth will be but a minor accomplishment for what I have in mind."

"You'd think it's that easy," Brawl comments.

"Are you that afraid of a planet filled with some insignificant humans Brawl?" Starscream sneers. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff. Without your brothers though... I suppose you are just a big cowardly brute."

Brawl's optics flare brightly in rage, but he stems it in favor of glancing at Soundwave, giving him a subtle nod. In response, Soundwave showcases video footage on his screen of the recent attack on the human settlement, New York City. Starscream surveys it for a moment, sneering.

"Ah yes, the Chitauri. Mindless organic beasts that failed to conquer a single human city," he scoffs, turning around to pace. "Four years ago, the so-called 'Daughter of Thanos' went to Earth to retrieve the Tesseract, and she failed. Then, an Asgardian was sent afterwards to retrieve it yet again, this time with an army of Chitauri. And even with no Kryptonian to stop them, they STILL failed."

Soundwave stops playing video footage of the attack, and Starscream looks at him and Brawl.

"Now please tell me you two, if the minions of Thanos failed to succeed on Earth, what does that say about the Mad Titan himself? Why should we be cautious of him?" he questions, stepping closer with a smirk. "And as for the Autobots, they will fall in time. So what do we Decepticons have to fear in this universe?"

Brawl scowls irritably at Starscream's smug face, but Soundwave instead raises his arm and points to the bridge monitor. Starscream looks to see a picture of the Avengers being displayed. It focuses on the faces of Wonder Woman, Thor, and Jarik Shan. Then an Asgardian symbol shows up, followed by a picture of the god known as Odin. Starscream's satisfied smirk turns into a frown.

 _"And he is a powerful warrior. You would do well not to underestimate him."_

Megatron's voice filters out from Soundwave, and Starscream turns back to face him, scowling irritably. Despite not wanting to admit it, even Starscream is cautious of what was just pointed out. He still doubts the impressiveness of Jarik Shan, or any of those Avengers, but he's heard enough legends about Odin himself to be cautious. Even he wouldn't dare to fight that god head on, despite the fact that he appears as a frail old human man.

Starscream scowls irritably and turns around with his arms behind his back.

"I suppose you do have a point Soundwave," he reluctantly admits, before stopping. "Ah, but wait. Legend tells of one capable warrior, one who exists here, upon this very planet, who can give us a great advantage over our enemies."

A smirk slowly crosses his face.

"One who can be student to, my master."

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

Optimus stood silently before the ground bridge, looking down with a sullen expression. Much of his thoughts continue to dwell on recent events, such as the termination of Megatron, which is definitely a huge victory for the Autobots. Still...

"Optimus, why so glum?"

Optimus glances back with a small sigh as he sees Ratchet and Ironhide walking up to him, the former having spoken up.

"This planet, all planets, are finally free from Megatron's tyranny," he says.

"I do not disagree, Ratchet. It's just... a small part of me hoped to change Megatron's mind, not extinguish his spark," Optimus admits bitterly.

"Prime, it wasn't you who killed buckethead. That tyrant was too caught up in his own arrogant thoughts of domination to realize the danger he was in. The universe is better off without him," Ironhide says.

"Hmm," Optimus frowns in response.

Ironhide blanches slightly, a look of regret coming across his face.

"I'm sorry. I know the two of you had quite a history... but I still stand by my point," he adds.

Optimus sighs in reluctant acceptance, hardening his gaze. "The Megatron whom I once fought beside perished eons ago, the day he chose to become a Decepticon."

He then turns around to face Ironhide and Ratchet, a look of firm determination crossing his faceplates.

"The Decepticons may be in disarray, but they aren't without leadership," he informs them. "And while Starscream is no Megatron, he is far from predictable."

Moments later, a massive explosion shakes the entire base, making the three Autobots stumble on their feet for a moment. They look over to see a huge cloud of smoke and sparks at the other side of the silo, and rush over instantly. Ironhide pulls out a cannon in preparation for a fight.

"Decepticons! We're under attack!" Ratchet exclaims.

When they reach the source of the explosion however, they find out it wasn't actually an attacking Decepticon, but instead a model volcano. Bumblebee and Raf were both right beside it, the latter coughing and waving smoke out of his face.

"It's no attack, Ratchet. It's my volcano," Raf explains, but his gaze becomes crestfallen as the volcano loses its shape and flattens out in a mushy mess. "Or was..."

Ratchet blinks in bewilderment and annoyance, while Ironhide and Optimus stand there perplexed, the former frowning as he puts his cannon away. They then look over at the sound of Miko's voice.

"Hold still, Bulkhead. Jupiter needs its red spot," Miko says.

Bulkhead was holding a model solar system from his hand, letting all of the planets connected to string hover in front of Miko. She dips her paint brush in a can of red paint and then moves it up towards the large model of Jupiter, only to accidentally spill a large glob of paint on the metal floor.

"Whoopsie!" she says.

"What... in the Allspark is going on in here?!" Ratchet demands, barely keeping himself from shouting out.

"Our projects are due tomorrow," Jack answers.

He and Arcee were set up beside a yellow motorcycle that was in the process of being constructed. A large red tool box sat beside it, and machine parts were scattered around. Arcee picks up the exhaust pipe and then holds it out.

"Maybe it needs one of these doohickeys," she suggests.

"You're a motorcycle, Arcee. Shouldn't you know how to build a motorcycle engine?" Jack asks with an amused smile.

"You're a human, Jack. Can you build me a small intestine?" Arcee retorts in a deadpan.

"Ooohh hooo, burn!" Alex calls out from nearby.

She was sitting on the catwalk with Elita standing beside her, the Autobot's arms crossed over her chassis. Said Autobot snickers at Arcee's rebuttal, nodding her head in approval while Alex grins mockingly down at Jack, who sighs in defeat.

"And what kind of, 'project,' are you doing exactly?" Ratchet demands.

"Me? I already finished mine," Alex replies with a shrug. "Elita was kind enough to help me out with it a few days ago."

Alex holds out a fist for a fist bump, and Elita studies it for a moment before her optics light up, and she returns it as lightly as she can. Alex grins in response, but then covers up her grimace as she cradles her hand, muttering to herself about that being a stupid idea. Optimus raises an optic ridge at Elita, who shrugs innocently in response.

"It's always nice to have something new to do right OP?" she asks.

"I suppose," Optimus replies, barely withholding the amused smile that attempts to burst across his face.

"You're already finished?" Miko asks incredulously.

"Did you honestly expect me to procrastinate until the day before its due?" she retorts, rolling her eyes. Seriously, I can't even believe you guys forgot to do them. Well... Miko I can understand. Jack... eh, it happens. But RAF?! Seriously?!"

Miko frowns at the mention of her and makes a face, while Jack rubs his neck and mumbles quietly in embarrassment, shrugging helplessly in response. Raf grins sheepishly up at Alex.

"Well to be fair, a lot of stuff has been going recently that kind of... took my mind off of it," he admits, making a list. "We met alien robots, helped stop a planetary invasion, and then the whole thing in New York had the entire school system across the country shut down for two days."

"Yeah, fair point," Alex shrugs in acceptance.

"Well, you can't work on these projects in here. You're making a mess!" Ratchet grumbles.

"But the science fair's a big part of our grade," Raf replies.

"Yeah, if Bulkhead doesn't help me finish this model of our solar system-" Miko starts.

"OH?! And what does Bulkhead know of your solar system, or Bumblebee of your volcanos, or-" Ratchet exclaims.

"Arcee of our motorcycles?" Jack offers, and she glances at him.

"Precisely!" Ratchet exclaims. "We're not earthlings. And they're not scientists!"

"Well I wouldn't say-" Elita starts.

"In the name of Primus, Elita if you make another statement about the Andromeda galaxy I'm going to throw a wrench at you," Ratchet threatens with a glare.

Elita quickly pulls back with a roll of her optics while Ironhide laughs in amusement, shaking his head.

"But the Autobots are their guardians, Ratchet," Optimus interjects, and Ratchet gapes at him incredulously. "Would it hurt to learn more of earth by helping our young friends with their schoolwork?"

"Well, maybe our young friends should try learning more of Cybertron," he retorts with a frown.

* * *

 _ **Nevada Desert - Earth**_

Starscream, Soundwave and Brawl stood at the edge of a canyon. The latter two stood side by side behind Starscream as they watched him give another monologue. Brawl just rolled his optics in annoyance while Starscream speaks.

"During the Great War, so much Energon was hidden on this forsaken rock, that our departed master sent some of Cybertron's greatest to guard it! True warriors now lying in stasis, waiting to be reawakened," Starscream informs them, sneering at the thought of Megatron. "Such folly that, late in life, Megatron searched distant space for warriors rather than here, beneath his feet."

Soundwave's sensors let out a loud beep, and Starscream turns around with an irritated frown. "What do you mean you can't pinpoint his signal? I know we are close! Boost the power to your sensors!"

"Why don't you give him a moment Scream," Brawl says mockingly.

"It is LORD Starscream to you!" he snarls in response.

Soundwave then beeps in confirmation as coordinates are shown on his visor, as well as a beeping location. Starscream nods in approval with a satisfied smirk on his face.

"Yes... there."

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

"So you're saying that 'Fulcrum,' or Jarik, or whatever, actually got into a fight with the big bad 'Con himself?" I ask Elita with wide eyes.

Before she could respond, the sensors of the computer gain everyone's attention.

"Exposed energon, and it's on the move," Ratchet reports.

"And since we ain't moving it, guess who must be," Bulkhead says rhetorically.

"Decepticons," Arcee states.

"Those dumb 'Cons don't know when to quit," Ironhide grumbles, crossing his arms.

"Without Megatron?" Miko asks, surprised.

"Unfortunately, Megatron's legacy will live on as others rise to take his place," Optimus explains grimly. "Autobots, you have projects to complete. Ironhide, Elita, Ratchet, I may require aid."

Ironhide cracks his knuckles eagerly while Elita nods in confirmation. Ratchet however glances back to see Raf working on his volcano project, a thought entering his head.

"Science fair is a big part of their grade," he says thoughtfully, a grin spreading across his face. "Perhaps I'm better suited to remain behind and advise."

"Come again?" Ironhide questions in bewilderment.

"Very well," Optimus replies with a nod, albeit a little skeptical.

"I have a bad feeling about Ratchet's sudden enthusiasm," Alex murmurs to Elita.

"You better be glad we already finished your project," Elita replies in agreement.

"Elita, Ironhide, Bumblebee, let us see about this energon in transit," Optimus declares.

Bumblebee stands up determinedly and nods his head once, showcasing he's ready. Ratchet activates the ground bridge, allowing the swirling green white and blue vortex to flare into life. Optimus and Elita stand up front and lead the way through the portal, Ironhide and Bumblebee following after them.

* * *

 _ **Nevada Desert - Earth**_

Brawl grunts in exertion s he works to pull the huge stasis pod from its position buried underneath the cliffside. Soundwave was kind enough to help out, but Starscream of course just elected to watch, something that irked him. Once the stasis pod was pulled from underneath the ground he drops his arms and takes a step back while Starscream moves forwards with a gleam in his optics.

"Excellent, Brawl," Starscream says, and then gestures to Soundwave. "The cube."

Soundwave pulls out an energon crate from his subspace and then opens up the container, pulling out the energon cube. He hands it over to Starscream, who then places it into the square slot for infusion. The energon slides into place, and then begins to glow brightly as it's delivered to the slumbering Decepticon.

"The energon infusion. It's working," Starscream says eagerly.

The stasis pod begins to shake a little bit, and then the doors slowly open.

"Awaken warrior. Rise, and serve your new master!" Starscream declares.

Inside the pod, the large form of Skysquake opens a pair of red optics and then takes two massive steps out. He stretches his limbs and then raises his arms up, bashing his closed servos against each other before looking down. Skyquake is a large and intimidating Decepticon, bigger than even Brawl, although not as tall as Megatron. His armor is colored a rusted green, with silver and bronze as secondary colors.

"Skyquake serves only one master," he states with a scowl.

"Excellent. Your loyalty and devotion will set a fine example for the troops," Starscream says gleefully, glancing up at him with a smirk. "No need to be timid, Skyquake. You may bow."

Brawl scoffs mockingly in response, knowing full well what Skyquake meant.

"You interpreted wrongly, _my lord_ ," he says in a sarcastic tone.

Skyquake speaks up before Starscream could respond. "You fail to grasp my meaning. I am here on a mission assigned to me by my one master: Megatron."

"Yes... Him," Starscream says with a grimace. "Sadly, Megatron is no longer with us."

"Impossible!" he replies disbelievingly.

"Why is this so difficult for everyone to accept?" Starscream growls in frustration.

"Because nobody wants your leadership, _Lord_ Starscream," Brawl snaps.

Starscream whips around to face him with an angry glare, but is unable to find the words to give a retort.

"Brawl! It has been some time," Skysquake says in recognition. "It is good to find someone of respectable stature."

Brawl nods his head in response, a satisfied look on his face as Starscream growls to himself further, whirling back around to face Skysquake.

"Skyquake, I located you. I awakened you. Thus I, lord Starscream, am now your master!" he exclaims.

Skyquake's red optics glow with anger and he growls, leering down on Starscream and taking a few menacing steps forwards. Starscream loses his anger and becomes timid and cowardly in response, quickly backing up with Brawl smirking at him. Before Skyquake could do anything however, they're interrupted as a voice cuts through the canyon.

"It has been a while, Skyquake."

Skyquake, Starscream, Brawl and Soundwave all turn to look at the origin of the voice and spot Optimus approaching, with Ironhide marching alongside him. Skyquake stands back up fully and shoves Starscream aside to face his new adversary.

"Optimus Prime. I haven't seen you since the Battle of Technar," he recalls. "Megatron ordered me to annihilate you."

"That was a long time ago," Optimus replies.

That may be, Prime, but my orders still stand," Skyquake states

"They won't be standing much longer when you Decepticon punks get creamed," Ironhide threatens.

"Ironhide," Skyquake comments, recognizing the Autobot veteran. "You will be destroyed just like the Prime."

"You want to test that Skyquake?" he demands, pulling out a cannon.

"Gladly," Brawl retorts, also pulling out his weapons.

Optimus however holds a hand out to keep calm, and faces the Decepticons. "Is this ancient war still worth fighting when so many comrades have been lost and worlds destroyed? If you want to be a true leader, Starscream, then stray from Megatron's path and lead the Decepticons toward peace."

"I would be willing to consider a truce If you would be willing to bow before me, Optimus Prime," Starscream replies with a smug grin.

"Again?!" Skyquake exclaims angrily. "Bow to this!"

With an irritated growl, Skyquake swings his arm against Starscream and slams him harshly against the wall. Starscream groans in pain, the force of the blow having cracked the stone, and slowly gets to his feet. Once he gets back up, he instantly transforms into his jet mode and blasts off into the sky, and Brawl scoffs at Starscreams retreating form.

"Coward," he mutters.

"Skyquake, this is a new era on another world. Side with the Autobots, and help me end this conflict forever," Optimus urges.

"I will never side with a Prime!" he shouts.

Roaring angrily, Skyquake charges forwards with his arms outstretched, and Brawl follows after him. Ironhide pulls up his cannons and opens fire, but Skyquake moves faster than he realize and delivers a punch that knocks Ironhide clean off his feet. He then whips around to do the same to Optimus, causing him to hit the wall. Skyquake then grabs him by the shoulders, and turns around the slam him into the ground.

Ironhide gets back up with a scowl to see Brawl charging towards him, shooting off a rocket launcher. Ironhide avoids it by rolling to the side and then jumps to his feet, delivering a fierce uppercut to Brawl in the process. Brawl stumbles back as Ironhide punches him twice more, before countering with a swinging elbow.

From their hidden position on the other side of the battlefield, Elita and Bumblebee both watch the scene in worry as the fight starts. Optimus pulls out his blaster cannon and takes a few shots at Skyquake. One blast hits his armor and causes him to stumble, otherwise leaving no scratch. In response, Skyquake pulls out a massive mini gun and begins firing a hail of slug-fire at Optimus. The rounds slam into his chassis, causing Optimus to stumble back with pained groans. Ironhide and Brawl were also in their own fight, pounding on each other with heavy fists. Brawl however seemed to get the upper hand when he kicked Ironhide away.

"That's it," Elita states, rushing forwards. "Let's move Bee!"

She and Bumblebee rush out from cover and go in to assist. He makes his way towards Brawl while Elita makes a beeline for Skyquake. Optimus takes notices, widening his optics in alarm.

"Elita, Bumblebee, no!" he calls out.

Elita jumps up high and activates her blasters, shooting Skyquake in the back. He stumbles forwards before turning around angrily to unleash a hail of gunfire. Elita flips between the sides of the canyon and returns the fire, before changing her weapons into wrist blades and leaping at him. She attempts to slash him in the head, but Skyquake grabs her and then twists around to throw her against the cliff wall. She grunts in surprise and pain at the impact, and looks up to see the mini gun aimed at her.

Before he could fire, Optimus rushes in and shoves the gun upwards, forcing Skyquake to fire harmlessly into the sky. Elita gets back up and makes another dash for Skyquake, but once again she's grabbed and then chucked overhead to land on the ground harshly.

"Come on," she groans irritably.

As for the other fight, Bumblebee reveals himself much like how Elita did by shooting his twin blasters at Brawl's back. The Decepticon stumbles forwards and then turns around to shoot at Bee, unleashing a few wrist rockets. Bee flips out of the way to avoid them, and Ironhide comes up behind Brawl to deliver a fierce punch that sends him sprawling. Bumblebee leaps in for a melee attack, but Brawl recovers quickly and grabs his arm, slamming him into the ground. Ironhide comes up behind him again, but Brawl jumps up to kick him in the face.

He rolls back across the ground in an uncontrolled tumble, and looks up to see Brawl smirking at him. Spitting out a glob of energon, Ironhide gets back to hide feet and charges forwards with a yell.

*:*:*

Starscream and Soundwave watched as the fight progress, the latter recording the scene on his visor.

"Do not miss a single moment, Soundwave! We shall need visual documentation of Optimus Prime's demise!" Starscream says gleefully. "For the historical record."

*:*:*

Optimus slams his fist into Skyquake's face, but the seeker merely looks back with a glare and does the same to him. Optimus stumbles backwards, and then swiftly evades another punch and moves behind him. He attempts to grab Skyquake, but is punched backwards when he whips around with another punch. Optimus takes a few heavy steps back by Elita, who raises her arms in a fighting stance, wrist-blades activated.

"He can't fly right?" she asks him.

"Skyquake has not yet acquired a vehicle mode," Optimus confirms with a nod.

"Fantastic," she says in reply.

Skyquake picks up his huge mini gun and charges forwards with a booming roar.

"Fall back!" Optimus exclaims.

He and Elita both step back and transform into their vehicle modes, backing up quickly. The both use their wheels to kick up a heavy amount of dust for cover, and then spin around to take off further down the canyon. Skyquake stops in the dust cloud for a moment, scoffing in contempt.

"So, time has made you a coward, Prime?!" he demands.

He unleashes a heavy barrage of bolts after the their retreating figures.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

Jack, Miko and I were all leaning against the yellow railing and watching the insanity that was going on alongside Arcee and Bulkhead. Ratchet was constructed what looked like a volcano... but to me it's more like a massive hunk of metal that resembles its shape.

"This is ridiculous," I mutter quietly. "Could that thing even fit inside the school?"

"Who knows?" Miko replies with a shrug.

"Let's see. Where is it?" Ratchet murmurs to himself, halting for a moment in his welding.

"Umm... what is it?" Raf asks cautiously.

"You'll find out!" he answers mischievously.

Am I right to be scared for Raf when his mom sees the grade on his report card?

"But, Ratchet, shouldn't I be doing the work?" he asks, stepping forwards and touching the metal.

Eh, yep yep yep! Don't touch! Just watch... and learn!" Ratchet exclaims, continuing to weld the thing together.

"So, we're just gonna go help Jack and Miko finish their-" Bulkhead starts to say.

"Without my supervision?!" Ratchet asks, sounding horrified at the thought. "You want them to be right, don't you?"

"This is supervising?" I whisper to Jack incredulously, and he shrugs.

Bulkhead and Arcee both share an uneasy glance with each other before looking back at Ratchet. Bulkhead looked extremely nervous at the thought of what could happen with Ratchet in charge, while Arcee was just plain irritated, her hands propped up on her hips in that manner.

"Then watch a master at work!" Ratchet declares with a wild grin, his welding torch lighting up his face like a mad man.

"Control freak," Miko comments.

"Normally I would laugh and tease you guys for procrastinating your projects until the final day," I remark, causing Jack and Miko to roll their eyes. "But now I just feel bad for you."

"Your support is as wonderful as ever Alex," Jack replies with a sigh.

"I do my best!"

* * *

 _ **Nevada Desert - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"We've lost sight of them. Soundwave, why aren't you tracking them?" Starscream demands, before Soundwave's visor beeps. "What? What is it?"

Soundwave pulls up the image of a life signal on his visor, and Starscream frowns.

"A second Decepticon life signal? But Skyquake is the only sleeper buried in this area," he states in confusion.

Soundwave zooms in on the coordinates of the life signal, which showcase an area of space just beyond Earth's atmosphere.

"The site of our destroyed space bridge. You're not telling me that life signal belongs... to Megatron?" Starscream murmurs, widening his optics in shock. "B-b-but he was microns from the detonation point! Nothing could have survived that blast! Your sensors must be faulty! Ignore the contact! Delete the coordinates!"

The life signal beeps more insistently as Soundwave very subtly clenches his fist, and Starscream falters upon realizing what he just said, and who he said it too.

"Oh, what am I saying?" he gasps, turning around with a nervous chuckle. "O-of course this must be, investigated. If Lord Megatron is up there, I shall bring him home."

Soundwave nods his head lightly in approval, which calms Starscream's nerves.

"Remain here and monitor the outcome," he orders. "When Skyquake snuffs prime's spark, I must bear witness."

Starscream then leaps off of the cliffside and falls down to the ground with a flip. Just before he could hit the rock, he transforms into his jet mode and then blasts off into the sky, rising higher into the atmosphere. Soundwave watches him go suspiciously, knowingly full well that Starscream isn't too be trusted.

 _"Must bear witness,"_ Starscream's voice plays back on his visor.

He then disconnects Laserbeak, who soars up into the air after Starscream.

* * *

 _"Tango 6 Alpha to central command. We're picking up transmissions originating from unidentified technology, possibly hostile. We are moving to investigate."_

"Negative, tango 6 Alpha. This is Special Agent William Fowler intercepting. Strike your report from the records and provide origin coordinates. I'll take it from here."

* * *

Bumblebee rolls backwards across the ground after a punch from Brawl sends him sprawling. The tanky Decepticon then turns around and fires several wrist rockets at Ironhide, who continues to charge forwards. Ironhide jumps into the air to avoid the missiles with a spiral maneuver, firing his two cannons back at him simultaneously. Brawl dodges one, but stumbles back as one projectile impacts against his shoulder. He growls at the damage and turns back to face Ironhide, who jumps up to his feet to kick him in the face.

Brawl is knocked down to the ground from the kick, but quickly rolls back to his feet to deliver a devastating counter punch, sending Ironhide sprawling. Bee gets to his feet and unleashes a quick barrage of laser fire against Brawl's back, causing him to stumble. His armor however protects him from any serious damage, so he turns around to face Bee and starts charging at him, raising an arm to cover his face.

Brawl jumps into the air and brings his fists down on Bee, intending for an incapacitating blow. Luckily for Bee he manages to evade quickly, jumping onto the side of the wall and then pushing off of it to end up behind him again. Brawl's fists only cause a huge crater in the ground. Spotting a large boulder, Bee runs over to pick it up, and then chucks it over his head at Brawl. The Decepticon turns around, only to get a boulder to the face. The rock explodes against him, causing his head to get whipped to the side. Brawl slowly turns back to glare at Bumblebee, a small amount of energon leaking out of a cut on his faceplates.

"Is that all you've got bug?" he growls angrily.

 _::Why don't you come find out?::_ Bumblebee taunts, bringing his fists up in a boxer's position.

Before Brawl could begin a charge for him Ironhide reappears in his vehicle mode, honking his horn at him. Brawl only has time to look over before he's bulldozed by Ironhide, knocking him clean off of his feet. Ironhide spins around and transforms into his bipedal mode, delivering a swift kick at Brawl to send him sprawling even more across the ground. Brawl gets up with an angry yell, aiming his arms at Ironhide and firing his laser cannon. Ironhide rolls out of the way and then jumps up, once again delivering an uppercut. He's tossed into the air for a moment, before Bumblebee sprints forwards and dropkicks Brawl, sending him slamming against the cliff wall with a grunt of pain.

Ironhide and Bumblebee stand at the ready for a moment, but Brawl collapses to the ground with a groan of pain. He's incapacitated, but not yet fully unconscious. Ironhide wipes off some energon trickling from his own chin and looks down at Brawl in contempt.

"Serves the fragger right," he mutters.

 _"AIR SUPERIORITY ACHIEVED!"_

At the sound of Skyquake's booming voice, Ironhide and Bumblebee look over to see a military jet with Skyquake's colors flying through the air and strafing the canyon. Gunfire sprays out from the jet, peppering the ground with devastating bullet holes and traveling along the canyon towards them.

"Look out!" Ironhide exclaims.

He and Bumblebee both leap to the side just as the bullet firehits the ground where they just were, hiding behind another corner. Skyquake however still continues onwards, and Ironhide tracks his progress with a scowl on his face.

 _::What's he doing?::_ Bumblebee asks.

"He's going for the others," he deduces. "Let's move!"

*:*:*

 **Elita POV...**

I drive along the canyon at top speeds, swerving around corners as Skyquake continues in pursuit, his footsteps thundering across the ground behind me. Turning down another pathway, I come to a full stop and transform to my bipedal mode, finding myself in a dead end. Behind me, the sound of footsteps slows down considerably, and I turn around to see Skyquake lumbering towards me.

"It will be a shame to crush you, femme, but it is my duty," he declares.

Knowing that my sparkmate was closer however, I merely smirk at him.

"That's what you think Skyquake," I tell him.

Optimus then swerves around the corner and honks his horn, barreling straight at Skyquake, who turns around at the sound. Skyquake pulls his his mini gun and begins to open fire, but Optimus speeds forwards before transforming. I roll out of the way as he leaps through the air with his arm pull back, slamming his fist into Skyquake's face with enough force to send him crashing against the wall. Skyquake hovers in place for a moment, his indent broken into the rock, before collapsing onto his face in a mangled heap.

"Excellent strategy, Elita," Optimus compliments.

"I always enjoyed that one," I comment, placing a hand on my hip.

Before we could celebrate further, Skyquake's optics shoot open and he slams his arm against Optimus. I back up cautiously, but Skyquake is slow to get to his fist, his punch to Optimus not that strong.

"Skyquake, stay down," Optimus states firmly.

Optimus brings his fist back and then slams it against Skyquake once more, sending him sprawling onto the ground. The sound of a jet then gets out attention and, thinking it's Starscream, we turn around cautiously, only to blink in surprise upon recognizing Agent Fowler's jet.

"Fowler?" Optimus murmurs in concern.

"What's he doing here?" I ask.

Two beams of green light suddenly shoot into the sky, and we look over with wide optics to see Skyquake attempting to scan the jet.

"Agent Fowler, fall back!" Optimus urges over the comms.

He's too late however, as the scanning beams pass over the jet, and a triumphant grin crosses Skyquake's face. Getting to his feet, he takes a few lumbering steps forwards before jumping into the air, transforming into his new jet mode and blasting off.

"Scrap," I groan in helpless frustration.

"AIR SUPERIORITY ACHIEVED!"

Skyquake soars through the sky and then angles back in our direction, beginning a strafing run through the canyon. He starts firing his guns further away from us, passing through the canyon before eventually reaching our position. We narrow our optics and tense up at the sight before turning around and sprinting away. Just before the gunfire could reach us we transform into our vehicle modes and speed off as fast as we could.

I swerve around at high speeds to avoid the gunfire, a few shots becoming dangerously closer to hitting me. The attack then stops, and I glance back to see Fowler firing at Skyquake from behind, who peels away from the canyon and shoots back into the air.

"Well, we need a new plan!" I tell Optimus.

 _"Agreed,"_ he replies.

*:*:*

 **Fowler POV...**

I keeping my finger held on the trigger button as I chase down this 'Con, narrowing my eyes angrily at him.

"Stealing plans for a classified military aircraft, will not be tolerated on my watch!" I declare firmly.

The 'Con pulls up higher into the air, and I swiftly follow after him. However he then slows down to zoom behind me, and I watch his progress tensely. My radar then begins to flash in warning, and I widen my eyes in alarm at the sight of several missiles following after me.

"Heat seekers!" I realize.

Shooting down into the canyon, I weave around the rock structures in an attempt to shake off the heat seekers, but they still stay close on my tail. Looking ahead, I spot the canyon coming to a swift end and manage a small smile. Shooting straight towards the canyon wall, I pull up at the last second and hear the satisfying sound of several explosions behind me as the missiles blow up against the wall, unable to turn in time.

"I still got it," I say with a grin.

* * *

 _ **Space Bridge - Earth's Orbit**_

 **3rd person POV...**

With no one around to clean it up, the debris field left behind by the remnants of the destroyed Space Bridge drift around in space, kept in place by Earth's gravity. Satellites had discovered the field of debris, but casual scientists and observers believed it to be the remains of some asteroids that collided in Earth's orbit, causing them to break apart into many pieces. Only S.H.I.E.L.D. knew the truth of what the debris field actually. As did the Autobots and Decepticons.

Starscream flew through the debris field and soared upwards, coming in for a graceful landing as he transforms, magnetizing his feet to keep him rooted to the large piece of floating metal. He takes a moment to observe his surroundings and then scoffs, shaking his head.

"No one could have survived this," he says to himself, sighing. "As I suspected: faulty sensors. The last thing I need now are rumors that Megatron is still-"

He's cut off as a weak moan of pain echoes through space, much to his surprise. He looks around for the source of the sound, and spots the dark form of a body floating through space, a dim purple glow emanating from it. Curious and wary, Starscream leaps over in the direction of the body and then gently floats to it, widening his eyes in shock as he recognizes the metal figure.

"Megatron," he says, hovering right in front of the warlord.

All of a sudden, Megatron springs to life and grasps at Starscream's neck, red optics glaring right into his soul. Starscream gasps in alarm as Megatron scowls at him, but he quickly falls back into a state of unconsciousness, letting go of his neck.

"But how?" Starscream asks in disbelief.

He then notices the purple glow coming from Megatron, and peers closer with narrowed eyes. Megatron's chassis was completely blown open, and stuck in his spark chamber Starscream could see the shard of dark energon still pulsing with energy.

"Ah, dark Energon," he realizes with a smirk, moving closer. "Everyone believes you are deceased. Who am I to disappoint them... Master?"

Pulling back, Starscream then reaches into Megatron's spark chamber and harshly yanks out the shard of dark energon. Megatron instantly reaches out towards him weakly, his expression terrified and full of pain, before falling limp once more. Starscream smirks triumphantly and kicks Megatron away to float through space in a moment of contempt.

"And this time, stay dead!" he growls.

Starscream looks up the dark energon victoriously, but then hears a buzzing sound that causes him to gasp in alarm. He looks around wildly and spots Laserbeak approaching, instantly moving closer to Megatron and hiding the shard of dark energon behind his back.

"Soundwave! if you are listening, I have found Lord Megatron, and he is... unwell!" Starscream reports.

Laserbeak continues to hover around, carefully examining Starscream and Megatron while the former keeps the dark energon out of his sight.

"We must transport him to sickbay, immediately!" Starscream urges.

* * *

 _ **Nevada Desert - Earth**_

Optimus and Elita continue driving down the canyon as Skyquake strafes it behind them, keeping up his barrage of gunfire. He then shoots several more heat seeking missiles, which blow up against the canyon wall after the Autobots take a sharp turn. Frustrated, Skyquake fires another set of rockets, when chase after Optimus and explode just behind him. Optimus is forced to transform as he goes tumbling from the impact, and looks up as Skyquake continues on. Elita keeps swerving to avoid the gunfire, with Skyquake right behind her.

Ironhide then charges around the corner up ahead in his truck mode, transforming into a roll and aiming his two massive cannons to let off a few shots. Skyquake peels off from his attack to avoid the cannon fire, and soars into the air. Elita swerves to a stop and transforms beside Ironhide, looking up into the sky as well while pulling out her own blaster.

"Dumb fragger," Ironhide murmurs.

"Where's Bumblebee?" Elita asks.

Before Ironhide could answer, Skyquake turns around and flies in for another strafing run. However Bumblebee then leaps off of the cliff above them, and grasps onto Skyquake's wing as he flies by. Surprised, the Decepticon shakes himself around and then slams against the cliff wall for a good long ways, hoping to dislodge him. Bumblebee manages to hang on despite that however, and Skyquake then shoots straight up into the air, hoping to drop him from a killing height. Optimus, Ironhide and Elita all watch as they become smaller in the sky, worry a common emotion running through them.

"Crazy kid," Ironhide scoffs in bewilderment.

"Agent Fowler, we require immediate assistance!" Optimus calls over the comlink.

Back up in the air, Skyquake spins around violently for a moment in an attempt to throw Bee off of him. Bee almost looses his hold before recovering, flipping himself on top of the jet. He wastes no time in punch through the jet to rip out a few wires. Skyquake shouts in pain, and then lets out another pained yell as Bumblebee rips through his wiring once more, causing a large plume of smoke to rise out thanks to internal damage.

Skyquake begins to plummet to the ground fast, Bumblebee hanging on the whole time. Fowler then comes up beside Skyquake in his own jet, and Bumblebee looks over with a loud beep.

"Any time, fella. Ground floor's coming fast!" Fowler urges.

Narrowing his optics, Bumblebee analyzes the distance and velocity before making the jump, landing safely on top of Fowler's jet. With Bee secured, Fowler pulls up from the ground while Skyquake continues downwards, entering the canyon and then crashing against the unforgiving surface of the Earth in a fiery eplosion.

"Happy landings, 'Con," Fowler says smugly.

When Fowler is close enough to the ground, Bumblebee jumps off of the jet and lands on the ground, running over to the cliff ledge to spot the others walking up to Skyquake far below. Bee makes his way down the cliff and rejoins the other three as they take a moment to look at Skyquake, who was a wreak of twisted metal, his face showing due to being halfway through transformation in the crash landing. Optimus pulls back his battle mask with a small amount of regret flickering through his optics.

"Had Skyquake chosen to stray from his master's path, we might not be burying him today," he states.

Elita glances at Optimus sadly, while Ironhide's expression is grim as he gazes down at the form of Skyquake.

Up high on the cliffside, Soundwave observes the scene silently while Brawl slowly walks up to stand beside him, scowling angrily at the sight of Skyquake being dead. He narrows his optics in cold fury, wanting nothing more than to rip the Autobots apart piece by piece. The only thing that keeps him from doing so is that he's most definitely outnumbered and outmatched.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

"I just... don't have the words," I say quietly.

"Yeah... my mom's gonna be really mad," Raf says glumly.

"I cannot believe Ratchet actually made all of those ridiculous machines," Elita scoffs in exasperation.

Elita was driving us back to the base after school today, Raf coming along since Bumblebee is getting checked for any serious injury. After the 'projects' were completed by Ratchet yesterday, Elita and the others came back from their mission, having apparently found Starscream trying to bring another Decepticon online. That Decepticon is now dead, which is good for us I would imagine. However Jack, Raf and Miko had the nerve racking horror of present the crap Ratchet put together today. And needless to say... that was horrible.

"He just blew up the school!" I exclaim incredulously. "What the heck even was that thing supposed to be?!"

"To scrap if I know!" she replies irritably. "I'll need to have another talk with him about how to handle planets with organic life."

"That's... probably for the best," Raf replies meekly.

"I just hope they let you redo the project," I tell Raf with a sigh. "At least everything else is straight A's, so it won't be too bad for your grade."

"Are you kidding?" Raf asks incredulously. "There's no way I got more than an F on that project! I never get B's, much less an F!"

"Well... I guess there's always a first for something," I say unhelpfully.

Approaching the base now, we spot Arcee and Bulkhead already in front of us driving through the entrance. Moving into the base ourselves, we drive down the tunnel and come to a stop. Me and Raf get out just as Jack and Miko to the same, and Ratchet eagerly rushes over to us. Elita, Arcee, and Bulkhead all transform into their bipedal modes, none of them looking too happy. Elita's arms were crossed, and she was tapping her foot while staring at Ratchet with narrowed optics.

"Aha-ha-ha! There you are," Ratchet greets eagerly, looking at Jack, Raf and Miko. "Well? How were my- uh, our projects received?"

The three of them glance at each other before giving the story, and I bring a hand to my forehead with an exasperated sigh while they do so. Ratchet's face slowly morphs from joy, to confusion, to disappointment, and then to annoyance as he learns what happened.

"Well, on our planet you would have been awarded the highest honors!" Ratchet fumes, storming away and muttering to himself. "Absolutely no gratitude. See if I help them."

Bumblebee takes a few steps forwards and says something to Optimus, while Ironhide just watches with his arms crossed, raising an optic ridge at Ratchet.

"Indeed, Bumblebee. Our human friends would have been wise to stray from Ratchet's path," Optimus comments in amusement.

"He just doesn't learn," Elita groans irritably.

The elevator door then opens up, and we all look over to see Charlie walking through in her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, carrying a few things in her arms. She lets them drop to the floor, and I quickly recognize the largest item to be Jack's crazy freak-show machine, and the 'detonator' for Raf's volcano. The other three all tense up nervously beside me, but Charlie doesn't focus on them, rather looks around at the Autobots before narrowing her gaze on Ratchet.

"What, in the actual name of all that is holy is this garbage?" she demands, hands on her hips.

Way to make an entrance.

"Garbage?!" Ratchet sputters incredulously.

Bumblebee beeps at Charlie in what seems to be a mix of curiosity and excitement, based on what I could read from his expression and hand gestures. Charlie looks over at him as she answers.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. had to come clean up the mess left at the high school," she tells him, looking back at Ratchet. "Apparently, Director Fury doesn't appreciate it when alien technology is used to blow a whole straight through the roof!"

Her voice was just oozing with sarcasm and irritation, and Ratchet grumbles in reply, refusing to meet her gaze. Ironhide I could tell is trying not to laugh.

* * *

 _ **The Nemesis - Earth**_

 **3rd person POV...**

Starscream, Soundwave and Brawl all stood before the medical table the Megatron laid on, hooked up to cables and life support.

"The troops will be pleased to hear of our success in rushing lord Megatron into stasis," Starscream says with a deep frown. "Let us hope that our master pulls through."

Brawl gives Starscream a suspicious glance, knowing full well how much the traitorous Decepticon would rather have leadership than Megatron.


	10. Ch 9 - Scrapheap

_**Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **3rd person POV...**

"I told you, doc, we're fine," Bulkhead grumbles irritably.

He starts ripping out the tubes attached to his chassis and gets to his feet while Bumblebee watches in bewilderment. Before he could go far, Ratchet swoops over and shoves him back down with a stern glare.

"The only way to be certain you're fine, Bulkhead, is to endure standard defrosting procedure," he retorts in exasperation. "You know prolonged exposure to sub-zero conditions can cause permanent system damage!"

"I'd listen to him Bulkhead, unless you want a wrench to the helm," Ironhide comments, crossing his arms, and Arcee rolls her eyes.

"Ratchet, have you learned anything more about our arctic find?" Optimus asks, he and Elita both walking forwards.

"Not yet. The pod can't be opened while it's frozen solid," Ratchet explains, gesturing to an image of the pod on the monitor.

Just recently, Bulkhead and Bumblebee were on a scouting mission in the Arctic in the search for more energon when they came across the pod. Calling in the find, they both hauled the pod through the ground bridge and stored it further back in the base, waiting for it to thaw out. At the moment they were unable to identify it's origins, and decided against informing Charlie and S.H.I.E.L.D. about it until they knew more.

Ratchet especially wasn't keen on the idea of a bunch of human scientists coming into the base to poke and prod at it.

Unbeknownst to the Autobots however, the pod was flaring with hidden activity from the inside. Ice continued to melt off of its exterior as the sound of scuttling came from within. The pod shakes as something bangs against the side of it, and small cracks start to form in its surface. The pod is then busted opening with a screech, allowing for a small, spindly leg to poke through it.

* * *

An hour later, Ratchet opens up the ground bridge as Optimus and Elita step forwards.

"Elita and I will search for any clue which might explain the origin of our arctic find," Optimus says.

"Only until your sensors sound. Remember, once your core temperature drops into the blue zone, system failures aren't likely. They're imminent," Ratchet warns them.

He activates a blue beacon on both of their shoulders that beeps blue for a second, testing the function. Elita glances at her beacon as it goes off.

"Thanks for the pep talk Ratch," she says with a small grin.

The sound of engines down the hallway gets their attention, and they look over as the rest of the Autobots come driving in, bringing Jack, Alex, Miko, and Raf with them. Because of the mission, Ironhide was sent to go pick up Alex instead of Elita, something that he felt like grumbling about before doing it anyways. The kids get out of or climb off their rides, allowing the Autobots to transform back to bipedal mode.

"Miss us, doc bot?" Miko quips instantly.

Ratchet groans. "Shouldn't they be in school?"

"Nope! It's summer vacation time! We get to spend the next three months with you!" she exclaims cheerfully.

"I wasn't expecting to carpool Elita," Alex remarks, looking up at her. "What gives?"

"I'm tag teaming Alex. It's my turn for a little 'exploration duty.'" she replies.

"Oh, too bad. It's a beautiful day outside, y'know, to do whatever," Alex says with a small smile, turning away mischievously. "Would hate for you to feel guilty about leaving me behind indoors."

"Arctic exploration duty," Elita states with a wide grin.

"Indoors where it's warm!" she replies quickly, walking off with Jack and Miko.

Elita looks up at Optimus and shrugs in amusement when Raf approaches them.

"The arctic? I've always wanted to see snow," he admits hopefully.

"I would invite you to join, Rafael, but the conditions are much too extreme, even for we Autobots," Optimus informs him grimly.

Raf looks down in disappointment but nods his head in acceptance. "I understand."

Optimus turns around to the portal before stopping, looking back down at Raf. "But I will bring you back a snowball."

"That would be awesome," Raf replies with a wide smile.

Elita smiles down at Raf and then turns around with Optimus, patting him playfully on the shoulder as they walk through the bridge together.

"You big softie," she teases.

They both disappear through the ground bridge, cutting off Optimus's response for her from the others. Ratchet watches them go with a satisfied nod, and the turns around towards the bridge controls.

"Transport complete," Ratchet says to himself. The controls however then spark up in a small explosion, blowing up smoke and causing the monitor to glitch up, much to his surprise. "By the Allspark!"

"What's wrong Ratchet?" Ironhide asks with a frown, noticing the trouble.

"I'm not sure... but the ground bridge is down..." he mutters in concern.

Meanwhile, the kids all make their way up the stairs towards their living area on the catwalk, where they spent most of their time in the base. After joining Team Prime as human companions, the area was transitioned into a human friendly environment equipped with a couch, armchairs, a few desks, and a TV with connection to several satellite stations and a video game console. They were all moved in courtesy of Charlie, although it was kept fairly secret aside from Director Fury and a couple of other trusted agents. They didn't want it to be known by anyone that four children were spending their free time with alien robots for several reasons, the largest of which concerned their safety.

"So, what do you guys think we should do today?" Miko asks, flopping down onto the couch.

 _::How about we play some video games?::_ Bumblebee suggests eagerly.

"Video game tournament! Last one standing wins!" Raf exclaims cheerfully.

Bumblebee and Bulkhead both look at each other in excitement while Arcee cross her arms, rolling her eyes fondly.

"Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee! Here! Now!" Ratchet calls out.

The three Autobots look at each other before Arcee shrugs, walking over. Bumblebee and Bulkhead both slump over in disappointment but follow after her. The former beeps at Raf apologetically, and he waves back with an understanding smile, reaching out to grab a controller. However its snatched up by Miko, who holds the other one out to Jack with a grin on her face.

"Prepare to be destroyed," she declares.

Jack glances at her from where he was slouching on the couch, and looks over at Alex, who shrugs in response from her own chair.

"Yeah, not really my thing, Miko," Jack replies.

"Oh? Scared of losing? To a girl?" Miko taunts.

"Oh go figure," Alex groans in exasperation.

Jack sighs in response, but accepts her challenge with a determined gleam in his eyes. "Bring it!"

He snatches the controller from her and starts up the game while Miko smirks, focusing on the TV as well.

"No mercy," she declares.

As they start playing, Alex looks over and takes notice of how disappointed Raf is. Clearing her throat loudly to get Jack's attention, she gestures over to Raf with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey Raf, you wanna take on Miko for me?" he offers, holding out the controller.

"Nah... I have stuff to do," he replies.

Raf stands up from the couch a little bit glumly, but attempts for a reassuring smile that doesn't reach his eyes. He starts walking down the steps and over towards the side of the base, while Alex and Jack watch a little bit sadly. Before they could say anything, Miko starts the game and lets out an excited whoop in challenge, and Jack quickly refocused his attention on her, getting serious.

"Oh, this'll end well," Alex sighs, resting her head on a propped up fist. "You know what I'm going to follow after Raf."

With the announcement given, she gets up from her chair and also heads down the stairs to follow after Raf, while the two rigorously continue their game in fierce competition.

Over by the ground bridge control panel Ratchet angrily smacks it as it lets off a huge amount of sparks, and the other Autobots walk over to him.

"You can't boss us around just because the boss is out!" Bulkhead complains with a frown.

"Would you rather I boss you around Bulkhead?" Ironhide replies with a warning glare.

"I need some heavy lifting. The ground bridge is down!" Ratchet explains irritably.

"Huh? What for?" Arcee asks with a frown.

"I'm not sure," he replies with a frustrated scowl.

 _::What about Optimus and Elita? Are they alright?::_ Bumblebee asks worriedly.

"Optimus and Elita made it through just fine. It's bringing them back that concerns me," he says urgently. "Now, remove those panels. Chop-chop."

* * *

 **Alex POV...**

For such a small kid, Raf could sure disappear fast whenever he felt the need to do so. Still, there are only so many places that he can go to, sin'ce while the rooms themselves are huge there aren't many too many areas. As I move through the corridor I start to hear his voice up ahead, hearing that's he's imagining himself in an arctic environment.

"Temperatures sub-zero and dropping..." he fake-stammers, making a few whooshing sounds. "Got to... get back... to base!

I turn the corner to see him slowly staggering forwards, hands stretched out to cover his face as if he were in the middle of a blizzard. I cross my arms with a small smile of amusement and lean against the wall, watching as he goes through the motions.

"Having fun playing role play?" I eventually ask, startling him. "Or should I go find some real snow?"

"Ah! Alex, you scared me," Raf remarks in exasperation.

"Sorry about that," I reply with a small shrug. "You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he says, glancing down. "Still kind of wish I could see some snow."

"Yeah, doesn't really snow here," I comment with a nod. "Maybe some day."

"If I can ever move someplace other then Jasper," he mutters bitterly. "There's just... nothing to do around here."

"Well you're super smart, I'm sure you could get accepted into any college you want," I suggest. "Maybe BYU, or Harvard, something like that."

"I'd like to, but mama says our financial situation isn't the best, so I don't know," he explains helplessly.

"I'm sure something good will happen," I reply, trying to be reassuring.

Before he could respond, the sound of metal clanking nearby gets out attention, and I look over in confusion to see a metal bolt rolling to a stop. Raf moves over and picks it up, looking over at me curiously. I look up when I hear the sound of rapid clattering from the ceiling, and for a moment I thought I saw movement. Then I hear more clinking around the corner, and quickly turn my head in that direction.

"Hello?" Raf asks, adjusting his glasses.

A loud boom has us both jump in momentary fright, and we look down the hallway in the direction of the sound.

"Raf, get over here," I tell him quietly, feeling a little nervous.

He does so with a look of apprehension, before letting out a startled cry as he trips on something, falling down onto the ground. I widen my eyes in surprise at the sight of a small metal creature, looking kind of like a bug, scuttling over to him. I rush forwards and grab Raf by the shoulders to pull him back up, moving him behind me.

"Ah! Woah!" Raf exclaims at the sight of it. "What is it?"

"I don't know..." I reply cautiously.

He then completely bypasses me and moves over to the little robot, much to my protests.

"Raf!" I hiss at him.

"Hey... where did you come from?" he asks curiously.

The robot bug blinks its wide purple optics a few times before scuttling closer. I ease up a little upon noticing it doesn't seem to be threatening, although I'm still getting a bad vibe from it. What is it anyways, and why is it prowling around the base?

"The Autobots never said anything about pets," Raf remarks.

"I don't think that they have pets..." I say doubtfully.

"Well, what else could it be?" he replies.

I glance at him with a raised eyebrow, looking back down at the little robot apprehensively.

"A lot of things..." I suggest.

"Aw come on, look at him!" Raf states in exasperation, looking at the robot with a smile while holding up the metal bolt he picked up. "You want to play fetch?"

The robot jumps up and down in excitement, scuttling around in a circle. Grinning, Raf chucks the bolt down the hallway.

"Good boy. Go get it!" he exclaims.

The tiny robot dashes after the bolt excitedly, and at this point I can't help but smile softly in amusement too. Maybe it's nothing to worry about... until I widen my eyes in shock as the robot grabs the bolt out the air. A drilling sound comes from the robot as it starts chewing through the bolt, sending sparks flying. I gasp at the sight, my apprehension returning even faster now. That... that can't be good.

"No! Don't eat that! You're gonna choke!" Raf cries out in alarm, although for a different reason than what I'm feeling.

Instead of hurt however, the little robot turns back around to face Raf and scuttles closer with apparent happiness, much to his surprise.

"Or... not?" he remarks in amazement.

I'm staring at the robot with wide eyes as it cuddles up against Raf's leg, my mind working overtime. From my experience with Cybertronian's so far, something tells me that a small robot about the size of an insect for them is something to fear. It just devoured that metal bolt like nothing... and the Autobots are made of metal. Sparking sounds nearby then catch my notice, and I don't pay attention as Raf and his newfound 'friend' start walking down the hallway.

"Come on!" he tells it.

Ignoring them, I cautiously walk along the corridor to wear the sparking sound seems to be coming from, and stare at the cause with a worried gaze. There's an electric panel along the wall, covered in horrible bite marks and sending forth lots of sparks. The thing is damaged practically beyond repair, and seemed to have been eaten from the inside. The horrible feeling in my gut only grows bigger, and then I hear the sound of lots of drilling. Looking up, my eyes go wide with horror at the sight of dozens, maybe hundreds of those same robotic bugs, chewing through metal cables and components, causing sparks to flare wherever they ate.

"Oh my gosh..." I murmur nervously.

Those things eat metal... and the Autobots are made of metal! With that thought in mind I whip my head around to where Raf should still be, only to see he's disappeared. I can only imagine he took the robot bug one place.

"Oh no... Raf!" I shout. "Raf!"

I take off at a run down the corridor, leaving the several dozen bugs behind to keep chewing through the metal.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Jack and Miko were still battling it out in the racing game, both super focused and intent on beating the other.

"Ah, come on. Come on. You want some?" Jack mutters in challenge.

Miko's mouth drops open in disbelief as Jack overtakes her in the race, crossing the finish line while also causing her to wipe out. With a joyous whoop, Jack gets up from the couch and tosses the remote down behind him.

"In. Your. Face!" he shouts triumphantly, making taunting gestures.

Miko waves him away with an irritated scoff while Jack starts his own celebration dance, a grin on his face. The lights then start to flicker as the power temporarily cuts out, catching him by surprise.

"Whoa! What the?!" he asks in bewilderment, before realizing the problem. "Great. Power failure."

"Aww. It wiped out our game," Miko says, putting on a show of mock disappointment.

She gestures to the TV where sure enough, the screen was completely wiped and on a static mode, much to Jack's horror.

"B-But I was winning!" he exclaims in protest.

"Bummer," she sighs, tossing the remote behind her.

Down with the Autobots, Ratchet analyzes the different power chips in the electrical grid and instantly spots the problem. Reaching down, he pulls out one of the chips to find it sparking and burned, a few holes in the sides of it.

"We most definitely have a problem," he says in concern. "But what could have caused this?"

The lights then flicker against as the base contends with another power failure, getting everyone's attention.

"Or that?" Bulkhead asks.

"Isn't this just wonderful," Arcee sighs.

"Might be the main grid," Ratchet suggests. "Hopefully, it isn't a substation malfunction."

"Ratchet, let me see that," Ironhide says with a frown, holding out his hand.

"What for?" he asks with a confused frown.

"Just give it here!" he demands.

Ratchet sighs and mutters to himself, but hands over the broken chip anyways. Ironhide holds it up and narrows his optics to analyze it for a few moments, before his facial expression morphs to one of horror.

"Oh slag," he murmurs anxiously.

"What? What is it?" Arcee asks, noticing the fearful tone in his voice.

"Hey, guys. Look what I found," Raf calls out from across the hangar.

"We're busy!" Ratchet replies irritably, before widening his optics. "AAHH!"

Held in Raf's arms and snoozing like a baby was a single scraplet, which Raf was smiling at. The Autobots all get to their feet with terrified yells and whip out their blasters on sight, aiming them at the scraplet regardless of the fact it was in Raf's hands. Ironhide's massive cannons whirl to life as he drops the eaten chip. Jack and Miko instantly rush over in surprise and bewilderment, standing in front of Raf defensively.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" Bulkhead yells.

"Hey, hey! What's with you guys?" Miko exclaims incredulously.

"Scraplet! SCRAPLET!" he screams loudly.

"What's a Scraplet?" Raf asks uneasily, holding the scraplet protectively.

"The most dangerous vermin ever to crawl upon the face of Cybertron," Ratchet explains through clenched teeth.

Jack and Miko both ease up with incredulous looks on their faces.

"This? Are you kidding me?" Jack asks with a scoff.

"This isn't a joke Jack! Those things are dangerous!" Arcee growls at him, blasting still raised.

"You're giant robots. Scrappy here is... Teeny," Miko says sarcastically.

"You have no idea of the damage that teeny thing can do!" Bulkhead states nervously.

"Now put that slagging vermin down so I can blast it Rafael!" Ironhide growls furiously, charging up his cannon.

"What?! No!" Raf protests. "He wouldn't hurt anything!"

The scraplet then starts to wake up, blinking its purple optics slowly while Alex bursts in from the far side of the room, having come at a sprint.

"GUYS!" she calls out in a panic. "We have a serious- WHOA!"

Right at the moment the scraplet opened its eyes, instantly spotting the five Autobots standing with their blasters raised. Without a second thought, the scraplet leaps out of Raf's arms and makes a charge for the closest Autobot: Bumblebee. It's entire face is now a giant mouth filled with drilling, rotating teeth, and it quickly chomps its jaws in a frenzy as it scuttles over.

Bumblebee fires his blasters, but the scraplet quickly dodges and keeps moving. Bulkhead and Arcee also try to shoot it down, but the little bug just keeps ducking out of the way on its path to Bumblebee. Ironhide growls and fires one of his cannons, blowing up a portion of the ground; even that doesn't manage to hit the scraplet, which finally reaches its prey. With wide open jaws in leaps up and latches onto Bumblebee's leg and starts eating away, creating wide gashes in his metal alloy.

Alex, Jack, Raf and Miko all watch with wide eyes at the sight, disbelief and horror filling them.

Bumblebee collapses onto his back with a fearful cry as the scraplet chews through his leg, moving up to his knee in a frenzy. He tries grabbing at it to crush it in his fist, but then the scraplet switches to start eating into his arm instead, much to his panic. Arcee then dashes forwards and brings out her wrist blade, slashing her arm in a quick and calculated swing, intending to kill the scraplet. However it jumps above the blade and then latches onto her instead, and she starts to panic as well. Yelping in fright, she smacks the scraplet to the ground with her other hand, finally dislodging it from them.

The scraplet gets back to its feet and begins charging again, only to come to a screeching halt as a crowbar slams into its head. Raf starts wailing on the scraplet with angry yells, creating huge dents in it and smashing it to pieces. Jack quickly comes in and stops the crowbar before he could swing more, the scraplet having already been killed.

"Whoa, easy there killer," he says.

Alex comes forwards and lays her hands comfortingly on Raf's shoulders as he takes a moment to regain his breath. With a worried gasp he then rushes over to Bumblebee while Miko walks up beside them as well.

"Woah. I did not see that coming," she remarks.

Ironhide then takes three massive steps forwards and brings his foot up, slamming it down on top of the scraplet with a growl and squishing it flat for good measure. The three of them back up quickly to avoid being hit by Ironhide, looking up at him incredulously.

"Hey! Watch it!" Miko shouts.

"Was that really necessary?" Alex adds.

"Just had to be sure," he scowls, grunting in satisfaction.

Ratchet and the others were checking up on Bumblebee, who sitting on the ground with a pained and fearful expression on his face. Ratchet glanced at Arcee to see if the scraplet harmed her, but she waved it off as it only got to biting her wrist blade.

"I'm sorry Bumblebee!" Raf cries out guiltily.

 _::It's not your fault Raf, you didn't know,::_ Bee replies.

"Is he going to be ok?" he asks Ratchet anxiously.

"Only a mesh wound. He'll live," Ratchet replies after a few seconds.

"Now do you believe me? All scraplets do is dismantle machinery and eat anything metal," Bulkhead explains, his optics wide in fright. "Especially living metal!"

"Well... bug squashed, game over. Right?" Jack asks, he Miko and Alex walking up to them.

"Actually I was coming to tell you guys," Alex interrupts uneasily. "I just saw a whole pack of a few dozen scraplets tearing up a hallway."

"Seriously?!" Miko asks incredulously.

"Alex is right," Ratchet states with a nod. "When it comes to scraplets there's _never_ just one. And I fear I know how they got in here."

With that grim statement Ratchet glances in the direction of the storage area, and the other Autobots all realize the implication, groaning in despair.

"Oh great," Arcee mutters, her wings twitching anxiously.

"Fraggit," Ironhide growls.

* * *

Sure enough, when the team timidly walked down the hallways of the base to the Cybertronian pod, they found the ice completely melted, with the pod busted wide open. There was absolutely nothing inside of it.

"It's a trap. A Scraplet trap," Ratchet says grimly.

"Uh, an empty Scraplet trap," Bulkhead adds nervously.

"How would it have gotten here?" Alex asks.

"During the Great War on Cybertron, hundreds of pods were filled up scraplets for containment, and then left as traps for the enemy to find. It was a Decepticon metho: brutal, horrible, and highly effective," Ironhide explains, appearing unsettled.

"I thought we managed to clear up all of the scraplet pods," Arcee replies with a frown.

"Yeah, we ejected them into space 'Cee!" he states with a growl, and Arcee grimaces.

"Clearly this pod eventually found its way to the arctic after it was ejected, where the temperature kept them in stasis," Ratchet explains.

"Until we brought the thaw," Jack finishes.

"Now they're wide awake and ready to brunch," Miko remarks.

"So... how many are we talking about?" Raf asks.

"Thousands. And the power malfunctions and ground bridge damage are sure signs that their infestation is well underway," Ratchet says grimly, shaking his head.

* * *

 _ **The Arctic - Earth**_

 **Elita POV...**

Me and Optimus have been patrolling the area around the crash site of the pod for almost an hour now, and so far haven't found much. The spot at the bottom of the ice cliff where Bulkhead and Bumblebee found the pod is nearly covered up already, so we had to dig into it for more clues. Upon finding nothing, we decided to split up and search the nearby area for anything else before deciding to call it a day. While I was covering the ground level, Optimus was busy scaling the cliff in efforts of reaching the top.

 _"Elita, what's your status?"_ Optimus asks through our sparkbond.

The sensors placed into the Autobot symbol on my chest armor beep in warning with a blue color, signifying the potential for system failures in the cold.

 _"I've reached the blue zone Optimus. We should probably head back to base before we start having some problems,"_ I suggest. _"At this point I doubt we'll be able to find much else."_

 _"Agreed,"_ he replies.

Breaking off from my search, I head back over to the cliff while Optimus brings a hand to his helm to activate his comlink.

"Optimus to base, core temperature readings have reached the blue zone. Prepare to activate ground bridge," he calls in.

To my surprise however, I hear the sound of static over the comm lines, clearly startling him as well. He jersk his head momentarily in response before looking down at me with a worried gaze, an expression I equally share.

While on earth, our comlink's have never gone out before...

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

With the knowledge of a scraplet infestation, we all rushed back into the main room of the base so that we could try and contact Optimus and Elita so that they knew of the problem. But much to my worry that wasn't seeming to be the case, since the entire control monitor was getting screwed over with glithces.

"Ratchet to Optimus, do you read me? We have a situation!" Ratchet says urgently, slamming his fist on the console when it fails altogether. "The Scraplets have gotten into the com-link system! If we don't eradicate these creatures immediately, they will reduce the entire base to a scrap heap!"

"Well I say we bug out of here and let them keep it!" Bulkhead exclaims, and Bumblebee beeps in agreement.

"Bulkhead!" Arcee scolds.

"What?!" he demands.

"You better shut your mouth wrecker before I feed you to the scraplets!" Ironhide growls in warning. "We have to get these things out of here now!"

"Oh and what are you gonna do Ironhide? Blast them with a cannon?" Bulkhead retorts doubtfully. "Face it, we'll never get them out of here!"

"Evacuation is not an option!" Ratchet states firmly. "If we don't get the ground bridge back online stat, Optimus and Elita will perish."

"They will?" I ask fearfully.

The idea that Elita and Optimus could die today is terrifying, and I'm particularly worried for Elita. I've never been faced with the situation of someone I'm close to being on death's door, knowing full well what's going to happen and being unable to do anything about it. I don't want to lose her, neither of them!

"Bulkhead, you never run!" Miko says chides.

"Miko, you haven't seen a swarm of these things devour a bot. I have," Bulkhead replies with a haunted look in his optics. "They pick you apart from the inside out, going for the small, juicy bits first. Fuse by fuse, circuit by circuit, till there's nothing left, and I mean nothing! Not even your optics."

"Bulkhead, I once lost a whole squad to a scraplet trap laid by Decepticons," Ironhide says with a firm intensity. "I will not let anyone else die because of these vermin."

"We have to take a stand Bulk," Arcee says gently.

"You have to let us help," Jack says, moving forwards.

"We're not made of metal!" Raf comments with a grin.

"Yeah. The Scraplets can't hurt us!" Miko adds confidently.

"No they can't," I say with a smile.

"Typically, I find your fleshiness to be your least engaging quality," Ratchet comments, and I make a face at him. "But it would appear to provide an advantage under these extremes."

"Great! So we pair off then," I suggest, looking at the assembled group. "One bot, one human. Ratchet, Ironhide and I can watch your back while you repair the ground bridge."

"Good enough for me. We need that bridge up first before anything else," Ironhide grunts in agreement.

"And we go on a bug hunt," Miko remarks with a smirk.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee gape at her in shock before glancing at each other, shivering fearfully at the prospect. Arcee, to her credit, doesn't let the idea shake her too much but I could tell from the look in her optics that she was anxious: her wings twitching were proof of that.

"Guess I'm the protector now?" Jack comments in an attempt at humor, looking up at her.

"Don't push it Jack," she retorts with a roll of her optics.

* * *

 _ **The Arctic - Earth**_

 **Elita POV...**

At this point we've been trying consistently to contact the base over and over again, but to no avail. The signal for whatever reason was being blocked, leaving us unable to reach them. I even tried Alex's personal phone, but that wouldn't pick up either. Considering she's most likely still in the base as well I shouldn't be too surprised, but it is really worrisome.

During this time Optimus and I have walked through the frozen wasteland against the freezing wind in the hope of seeking shelter. Already I could feel a bit of numbness and pain as my systems began to shut down and freeze. Movement now felt stiff, and I was lagging a bit behind Optimus.

"Optimus to base. Do you read?" he tries again.

With a groan of pain one of my joints freezes up, and I collapse to the ground on my hands and knees. Optimus notices instantly and rushes back to help me to my feet, his worry clear across our sparkbond.

"Are you sure a nice long drive wouldn't help Orion?" I murmur in suggestion. "I hear Miami's beautiful this time of year."

"The nearest temperate climate is too distant, Elita," he replies I disagreement. "Attempting to reach it would expend too much energy and hasten the freezing process. Until Ratchet sends for us, and he will, our best option would be to seek shelter and insulate ourselves."

"Figures," I grumble in reply.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

Jack, Raf and Miko each split off down the base with their respective Autobot guardians, while Ironhide and I both stayed behind in the main room to guard Ratchet. So far we've been fairly undisturbed since the split off, although I was anxiously waiting for any sign of scraplets to come surging out at any point. Glancing at the crowbar in my arm however, I couldn't help but dryly think how pitiful this would be against huge swarms of scraplets. I'm broken out of my thoughts when I hear a short and startled squeal echoing out of one of the hallways.

"Oh my gosh... are they alright?" I ask worriedly.

"That was Bulkhead..." Ironhide mutters with a groan. "He thought he saw a scraplet."

"Thought? How do you know that?" I ask in confusion.

"He screams like a femme when frightened. Plus the lights flickered off down that hallway for a moment," he explains irritably.

I make a face at the thought of Bulkhead squealing like a girl, but put it off for now. Every little sound had us on edge, and I could just make out the sounds of a blaster being fired every so often, making me extra jumpy. Looking at my crowbar once more, I then spot a fire extinguisher on the wall, brightening up at the sight of it. Dropping my crowbar, I dash over to the extinguisher and grab hold of it, walking back to my original position while Ironhide stares at me in confusion.

"What're you getting that for?" he grunts.

"I'm not a genius, but I know a little bit about working with cars. The engines don't do very well when they're cold," I tell him, grinning. "I'd figure the same principle applies to scraplets."

Ironhide nods his head, and I think I see the faint sign of a smirk breaking through his otherwise grumpy expression.

"Smart femme," he compliments. "How's it going over there Ratchet?"

"I've repaired the damaged conductors and rerouted the central conduits, but the ground bridge still won't receive power!" he replies in frustration, pounding his fist into the ground.

"Still no power?" I ask with a frown.

If he's still not getting any power, then maybe it's because...

I'm broken out of my train of thought when I make the mistake of looking up at the wall above me, where hundreds of scraplets were crawling out of the pipeline. I widen my eyes in horror at the sight, no longer feeling as confident with my fire extinguisher.

"Uhh... Ironhide?" I mutter timidly.

He looks in the direction I pointed out and widens his optics in fright, whipping out his cannons.

"Son of a glitch!" he exclaims.

As one, the scraplets all look up from where they were chewing along the metal walls. Their purple optics roam around me for a moment, and then narrow in on Ironhide and Ratchet. With a buzzing roar, their wide mouths all snap open and they jump off of the wall, flying through the air.

"What the heck?!" I exclaims incredulously. "You guys never said they could fly!"

Ironhide doesn't bother with a response and starts blasting off at the scraplets as fast as he could, causing the entire room to shake with the power behind his guns. Even so it looks like he barely managed to put a dent in the swarm, and I start blowing my fire extinguisher as they zip past me. Thankfully I'm unharmed as they go by, but the same can't be said for the other two. Ratchet backs up fearfully while Ironhide continues firing his cannons, but the scraplets instantly latch onto them and start biting all over their bodies, chewing through their metal skin.

Ratchet is instantly on the ground, panicking and trying to claw at all of the scraplets attached to him, several large gauges already marking him. Ironhide doesn't fair much better, swinging his arms around in a desperate but futile attempt to get them off of him. They chew on his arms, legs, head, cannons, everywhere, swarming around him. He bangs against the wall in his attempts to get the swarm off before collapsing heavily to the ground as well, falling beside Ratchet.

"Ironhide! Ratchet!" I shout in horror, sprinting forwards.

I do my best to blow off the scraplets with the fire extinguisher, hitting several with each blast. Thankfully it seems a couple seconds is enough to freeze each one, but for every scraplet I get three more replace it. Ironhide and Ratchet are sprawled helplessly on the ground, desperately trying to get off all the scraplets while I help in any way I can. Ironhide tries to get to his feet, but collapses onto the floor once more with enough force to shake the ground. Nevertheless I keep trying to freeze all of the scraplets I can, covering Ratchet and then Ironhide in a cloud of cold icy spray.

To my immense relief the scraplets back off for the moment and get away from them, probably because of the large clouds of ice blowing out from my fire extinguisher. Still, there are hundreds more swirling around in the air in their vicious swarm. Just then the others come back into the main room, and at first glance I could see Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead were all limping by with huge gashes all over their armor.

"Ratchet, get the patch kit," Bulkhead says. "We're leaking energon like- Whoa!"

He cries out in surprise at the sight of all of the scraplets still flying around in the air, and Jack, Raf and Miko all look up as well, just as shocked as I was at seeing them fly. Upon their arrival the scraplets instantly switch their targets towards them, mouths wide open and ready to drill. Arcee and Bumblebee shoot their blasters wildly at the swarming scraplets, and Bulkhead swings his mace at a clump of them.

"Eat this!" he roars.

Lifting his mace up, he glances at it for a second and then at his other hand, seeing that the scraplets were indeed eating his mace: literally. Screeching in fear, he starts clawing at the scraplets in much the same way as the others were, falling to the ground. Jack, Raf, Miko and I all rushed forwards in their defense to take out as many scraplets as we could, going for our respective guardians while I covered Ironhide and Ratchet with my fire extinguisher. The others were doing their best to bat them out of the air with their crowbars, but it was ultimately proving to not be very effective, as there were still hundreds more swarming around.

* * *

 _ **The Arctic - Earth**_

 **Elita POV...**

It's probably been over an hour since our sensors reached the critical blue zone, and we still have yet to receive any response from base. After a bit of walking we eventually managed to find some shelter underneath an icy overhang, but it wasn't enough to keep the cold blowing wind out completely. I've been curlced up with my legs pulled close to my chest, optics shut to try and conserve some semblance of body heat.

"Elita, wake up," Optimus urges.

I lift my head up and little and rub my optics tiredly, glancing over to see him staring at me in concern.

"Just... resting my optics," I offer weakly.

"The longer we remain alert, the longer we remain alive," he says seriously.

"I know Orion, I know. What do you suggest?" I ask glumly before perking up. "Wait. How about a game? Why not take turns suggesting who messed up back at base?"

"Our predicament could be the result of a simple malfunction," he suggests.

"I'd take a guess on Bulkhead. No comlink, maybe even no power. Probably tripped over a cord or something. Ratchet would be furious," I comment with a quiet chuckle. "Remember when we finally found each other again Orion?"

He looks down at me, and I continued on.

"Our moment was kind of interrupted when Bulkhead made the mistake of walking into those power lines," I recall fondly, a soft smile on my face.

"Despite your attempts to warn him," he replies with a small amount of exasperation.

"He's never been the most graceful of bots. Who knew he could've danced the way he did?" I say in amusement.

"Bulkhead may be... too large for this world, but his inner strength is without bounds," he tells me. "One should not be measured by size alone."

"Believe me, I think I know that better than anyone," I reply knowingly, staring out at the icy plains.

"You're referring to Jarik," he remarks knowingly.

"Yeah... he changed me in more ways then I could've imagined. If it wasn't for him I would still be trapped underneath that island," I say softly. "I can't help but worry about him almost as much as I worry about Alex."

"Our human friends are strong, sometimes even more so than us," Optimus comments.

"Wish there was a way I could repay him for all that he's done for me," I murmur glumly.

"I believe you already have," he replies with a reassuring gaze. "And I'm sure he believes so as well."

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

 **Alex POV...**

After what felt like ages we finally managed to get all of the scraplets down. The bots were all hanging out beside the consoles in the center of the silo while the rest of us went around, making sure the scraplets stayed dead. I used my fire extinguisher whenever I spotted movement while the others used their crowbars to pummel them to pieces.

"We get them all?" Jack asks with heaving breaths.

As if to answer Jack's question, the echoing sound of drilling flows out from the corridors of the base to reach our ears. I swallow nervous at the sound, already able to tell that it would take a lot of scraplets to produce a noise like that.

"Hardly. These were just scouts," Ratchet groans.

Bumblebee whines and collapses onto his back, while Arcee and Ironhide share a worried look with each other, shuttering at the idea of there being even more.

"So, the rest of them know we're in here?" Bulkhead asks nervously.

"What're we going to do now? We can't hold out against that many scraplets," Arcee states anxiously. "We barely pulling together already!"

"Don't you guys have any more fire extinguishers?" I ask them.

"No. I never saw a need for us to use them," Ratchet replies with a grimace.

"Uhh, how about now Doc?!" Miko exclaims incredulously.

Ratchet at least has the decency to look a little guilty.

"If we allow ourselves to become food for those vermin, then Optimus and Elita will never make it home," Ironhide states with a grunt, pushing himself to sit up straighter. " Ratchet, are you sure you've fixed everything on the ground bridge? We need to get it online."

"I don't know, I've repaired everything in here, but it still won't receive power," he replies with a frustrated groan.

"If the bridge was operational, then could we use it to send the Scraplets anywhere on earth?" Raf asks.

"Yes," Ratchet replies.

"Why not back to the arctic?" Jack suggests, gesturing to my fire extinguisher. "We already know they don't do cold."

"Sweet! One-stop shopping!" Miko cheers.

"Yeah, I think I need more of it. This thing feels nearly empty," I inform the others, hefting the fire extinguisher.

"Given the body mass of the scraplets, sub-zero temperature should freeze them on contact," Ratchet says in agreement with the plan. "So think, Ratchet. Think! What else could keep the ground bridge from operating...?"

I try to think harder on the idea as well, mulling over my knowledge of mechanics. The principle can't be too different from any other engine, right?

"If everything is fixed, and you still don't have any power... would the fuel line be the problem?" I suggest.

Ratchet's optics light up instantly, and he rapidly nods his head.

"Y-yes, that must be it! The energon fuel line must be breached!" he states, looking down at me in amazement. "How did you figure that out?"

"I've tinkered with car engines. Similar principles really," I say proudly, a small grin on my face.

"Huh, I can see why Elita likes you," Arcee comments, making me turn away sheepishly.

"If we weren't breaching, one of us could get back over there and fix it," bulkhead groans.

"Where do we find it?" I ask determinedly.

"And how do we fix it?" Jack adds with the same determination.

* * *

After receiving the instruction from Ratchet, which I instantly took in with a confident nod, I gathered up all of the materials we'd need and led the other three down the corridor to where the energon fuel line runs. Along the way we came across a swarm of scraplets, all scuttling along the ground and walls quietly with their mouths wide open. We carefully stepped over them on our way to the breach, unable to help feeling anxious despite knowing we're safe.

"Remember, we're okay. We're not metal," Jack reassures us.

"Still doesn't help knowing that," I admit uneasily. "Just look at those mouths!"

"I'm glad mosquitos aren't like this," Miko mutters with a grimace.

I do my best to ignore the scraplets and roam my eyes along the wall, where the pipeline for energon ran. Soon enough I spotted the breach in the pipeline, where it was leaking streams of energon into a puddle on the floor.

"There's the breach," I inform them.

We rush over to the pipeline and crouch down beside it, getting our tools out. I analyze the damage for a moment and then turn to the others.

"Alright, here's what I need you guys to do," I say firmly.

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

While the kids worked on fixing the breach in the energon fuel line, the Autobots could only hang out on the ground in the main part of the silo, anxiously waiting for the rest of the scraplets to eventually find them.

"So, if we get-" Bulkhead starts, faltering when Ironhide and Arcee both glare at him. "When we get the ground bridge open, do we send the creepy-crawlies out or bring our bots in?"

"I don't know if bringing them in first is the best idea," Arcee says.

"Optimus and Elita will be fresh meat. If we bring them in first, the Scraplets will have no reason to leave," Ratchet states grimly.

"We'll need bait then," Ironhide declares.

"Where are we gonna get bait?! The Scraplets already helped themselves to everything in here!" Bulkhead exclaims incredulously.

Ironhide only looks at him, narrowing his optics.

* * *

While I worked on welding the metal plates back together, the others helped keep them in place, taking special care not to touch any of the exposed energon. Apparently it's toxic to 'organic' creatures, and could lead to serious harm if we were to ever come into physical contact with it. Luckily it take us too long to fix the energon line, and I pulled away my welding mask to smile at the repaired pipe.

"I think it's done," I say in relief.

The smile is instantly taken off of my face when the scraplets all take to the air with a loud buzzing whir, zooming through the hallway and disappearing up the ventilation shafts.

"They're getting ready to feed!" Raf exclaims in a panic.

* * *

 _ **The Arctic - Earth**_

 **Elita POV...**

It was all I could do to keep from going into stasis, forcing my optics open whenever they tried to close. Orion and I were both beyond the point of trying to remain sitting upright, and resorted to just laying sprawled on the ice beside each other.

"You know the worst part? After battling the 'cons all these years, getting smacked down, shot at, blown up, in my case trapped in stasis for six thousand years, this is how our lights go out?" I ask with a disbelieving scoff.

"Elita, this may not be the finish that we had planned, but if this is indeed the end, if we are to become one with the Allspark..." he trails off.

I slowly reach a hand up and lay it in his massive servo, and he tenderly wraps his metal digits around my hand.

"I'm glad we were able to be together again, before the end Orion," I say softly, smiling weakly up at him.

"So am I Elita," he replies gently. "So am I."

* * *

 **3rd person POV...**

Alex, Jack, Raf and Miko all ran back into the silo as the scraplets began swarming around the ceiling, blowing off ventilation vents and taking down catwalks and other bits of scaffolding in their massive numbers.

"Ratchet, all systems go!" Alex yells.

"Fire it up!" Miko adds.

Groaning, Ratchet pulls himself to his feet and stumbles over towards the ground bridge control, placing his hand on the lever.

"Ground bridge... Activated," he murmurs.

Gripping the handle, he pulls the lever while also collapsing at the same time, hitting the ground hard. Thankfully however he manages to get the ground bridge portal open, and it whirls to life with an array of bright colors. Ironhide stares at the portal, knowing that Optimus and Elita could come through any second: something he does not want to happen. He glances over at Bulkhead, who gets the message and looks up at the scraplets.

"Bait, huh?" he deadpans.

"You know it wrecker," Ironhide grunts, struggling to his feet. "Get up!"

He and Bulkhead both stomp to their feet and pull themselves over to stand in front of the ground bridge. Once they get there Bulkhead starts waving his arm at the scraplets while Ironhide brings out his cannon, shooting a single blast in the direction of the swarm.

"Ready for the main course?" Bulkhead says tauntingly.

"Come and get it you vermin!" Ironhide roars.

The scraplets are sent into a frenzy within moments, and the two heavy Autobots turn around and start lumbering through the portal, the swarm following after them. They instantly converge around both Autobots and begin chewing through them viciously, both Ironhide ignores the pain in favor of glaring forwards, jumping through the portal with a loud yell. When he and Bulkhead emerge on the other side and into the arctic wasteland, he spots Optimus and Elita up ahead struggling over to them.

"Prime! Get down!" he shouts.

Taking one last step, he and Bulkhead collapse onto the ice with groans of pain, letting the scraplets swarm out of the portal after them. Optimus widens his optics in alarm at the sight of the scraplets, and stands protectively in front of Elita as they get closer, mouths wide open. Just as they're ready to chomp down on the two of them, the freezing temperatures kill all of the scraplets in seconds, and they bang harmlessly off of Optimus and Elita, falling down into the snow all around them.

Opening her optics, Elita takes a moment to survey all of the frozen scraplets and then looks over at the others with an incredulous look on her face.

"What in the name of Primus happened?!" she exclaims.

"I'd invite you in, but the place is a mess," Bulkhead comments.

"Scrapheap is more like it," Ironhide growls.

* * *

 _ **Autobot Outpost Omega One**_

Once back at base, all of the Autobots were gathered around the infirmary while their human friends did most of the check-ups under the guidance of Ratchet in the aftermath of the scraplet infestation.

"Report bio-circuitry status," Ratchet says.

"Levels are rising," Jack reports.

"Excellent. Rafael, keep a close watch on Bumblebee's electro-pulse monitor," he continues. "Miko, check bulkhead's interface patch."

"It's steady," Raf replies.

"Looking good," Miko adds.

"Alex, make sure Elita's core systems are gaining more heat," Ratchet says.

"They're doing fine," Alex replies from her computer next to Elita.

"Perhaps you should get some rest yourself, old friend," Optimus suggests with a small smile. "You saved quite a few lives today."

"It, wasn't all my doing," Ratchet admits sheepishly. "We're just fortunate that this infestation happened... on summer vacation."

"Our human friends may be small, but they are strong," he replies proudly.

"Elita's friend already has some of my respect," Ironhide admits with a small grin.

Just then, Miko lets out a terrified scream, prompting Alex, Jack and Raf to leap forwards with their crowbars at the ready.

"What is it?" Jack demands.

"Scraplet?!" Alex asks, hefting her crowbar.

"Spider!" she shrieks, and everyone instantly turns to look at her. "Is it on me?! Aah! Get it off!"

Miko continues squealing and shrieking in fright as she scampers off, wiping at her shirt desperately while the others look on in disbelief. Alex groans angrily to herself and tosses the crowbar aside the lay a hand on her hip, blowing a raspberry in frustration. Ratchet and Optimus share a look, the latter even looking exasperated, while Bulkhead leans over to watch Miko run away.

"Did she just scream like a little girl?" he asks.


End file.
